By Mugs Manry
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV)
I walked in the woods to hear God’s voice because all around me other voices intruded. I looked and listened for Him, but it was the enemy I heard first. “Don’t go walking in the woods alone,” he said. “You could be lost or injured. No one would search for you. Feel fear. See threat.” I began to mentally prepare for an attack and for getting lost. Then I heard God’s voice say, “Fear not.” So, I took those fearful thoughts into captivity, and walked on.
I walked in the woods to see God’s creation because all around me man’s creations intruded. God’s beauty shone in the small waterfalls of the creek; He made His power heard in the wind rushing through the trees; He revealed His restoration of life in the moss on the rocks. So many days I forget to look at His creation. The sky, the stars, the leaf, the flower, the rain, the mountain, the ocean, the rock, the bird all testify to the Creator.
A memory rose up. I was young and walked in different woods with my pastor. He stooped down and picked a flower. It was a Queen Anne’s Lace growing by the path. “I will show you why I believe in a Creator,” he said. Amidst all the tiny white flowers that made up the blossom, he showed me a small purple flower at the center. My pastor asked, “Who but the Creator would pay attention to such detail?” I remembered to praise God for His creation and walked on.
I walked in the woods to find God’s purpose because all around me my purpose intruded. Praying, thinking, and pondering, I mulled over teachings and songs, successes and failures, sins and inadequacies. The dark brown of the trees, the dark green of the leaves, and the dark black of the earth all contributed to the darkening of the forest and the darkening of my thoughts.
Ahead, I saw something different, something unique. A white birch tree, reflecting the light of the sun, stood out amongst the darkness. It was not perfect. It had flaking bark, broken branches, and a crooked lean. I stopped.
“This is your purpose,” God said. “Shine forth My light in the dark place.” Again I am reminded that God does not need perfect vessels to shine His light to the world. He just needs willing ones. We may be flaky and broken, different and odd. “God couldn’t use me,” we think and we would be wrong. For when we are surrendered to Christ, it is He who shines through us.
Dear Lord, open my heart, so I will hear You. Reveal your creation to me, so I will praise You. Use me: flaky, broken and bright, so I will reflect You. I pray, through all this, unbelievers would see Your grace and come to know You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Application Steps:
Take a walk in the woods or in a park and listen for God’s voice. Look for a unique part of God’s creation you have not previously noticed. Praise God for this creation. Believe that you are a unique part of God’s creation and praise God for making you. Shine forth His light.
Reflections:
Are you listening for God’s voice?
Are you praising God for His creation?
Are you fulfilling the purpose God has for you?
Power Verses:
Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV) “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
Romans 1:20 (NIV) “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”
Galatians 2:20 (NIV) “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”