Everyone who knows me knows that I have any extremely active brain and that I can rarely sleep well because I am always thinking! My mom always tells me to take out my brain, put it away in the drawer and then go to sleep haha. I often will have a pen and notebook at my bedside to write down any thoughts or ideas that come to mind in the middle of the night. This usually ensures I don’t forget the thought/idea and I can address it the next day. If I don’t do this then my brain will just keep repeating the thought or idea constantly in an attempt not to forget it, which leaves me with a not so restful sleep.
This particular night I was attempting to sleep haha, but I just kept repeating in my mind “use the darkness to turn up the light.” I was asking God what does that even mean? I finally forced myself to scribble it down while keeping my eyes shut in an attempt not to wake up fully or I will lose whatever sleepiness I have (yeah, I have a real problem with sleeping).
The next afternoon while going about my day I then remembered what happened in the middle of the night. I go back into my bedroom to find the piece of paper and see what the message was that I scribbled mid sleep. I then read “use the darkness to turn up the light.” Slightly puzzled I then asked God again what was the meaning of this? I sat at my kitchen table with my study bible and bible dictionary and decided to do a word study on light and darkness.
During this time the Lord brought a couple scriptures to mind. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them Romans 8:28. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness can never extinguish it John 1:5. In my study bible it says that the darkness can never destroy the light (Jesus). The light will always bring salvation to the world. In my bible dictionary, part of the definition of light is Jesus’ glory, which is fullness of grace and truth, salvation. The definition of darkness is described as the absence of light, chaos in opposition to Gods orderly creation, a place where workers of iniquity may hide, ignorance especially of God and his ways. I also learned during my study that Gods deliverance (either from ignorance or hostile powers) is described as lighting the darkness! Thats what it was all about! Gods deliverance… share how God changed you!
I was reminded of the story of Paul in Acts 9:1-22. Paul used to hate Christians and he had some murdered. While on a journey with the intention to persecute more Christians, Paul had an encounter with Jesus. A light from heaven suddenly shown down around him (Jesus). Paul fell to the ground and heard the voice of Jesus. Paul was blinded for three days. After Paul’s miraculous and life changing encounter he became a believer and began preaching about Jesus. All who heard him were amazed and would say “Isn’t this the same man who caused such devastation among Jesus’ followers in Jerusalem?” Can you be this bold and brave? Can you share how God changed you?
After reading this story I believe God showed me that he was able to “use Paul’s darkness to turn up the light.” Think about it, everyone must have been so shocked and confused at first when Paul was suddenly a believer of Jesus when he was just involved in murdering believers. Many non-believers must have been in awe after witnessing this! This concept started to make sense to me after my study.
So, if you take anything away from this post, let it be this: God can and will use you as his instrument and as a part of his plan no matter how big your sin is. Our sins can be big, but Gods love and plans are way bigger! He will use it for His glory. Don’t let the darkness (sin) overtake you, turn it around by sharing with others how God shined his light on it and saved you. Don’t keep it quiet, once its placed in the hands of God he will lift your burden! By sharing Gods glory in your life, you are turning up the light. If you are still currently in sin, feel encouraged and inspired by Paul’s story! God makes you new. You too can be saved, can turn away from your sin, be changed by his presence and then turn up the light by sharing the gospel (good news) and your testimony with others. Share how God changed you!
