Matthew 4:16:
“The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”
Lord, when bad rain and windstorms come through that wreak havoc on electric companies, we often experience a sense of relief and even joy when power is restored after a prolonged outage. From pitch darkness to suddenly being thrown into a great light is jarring but thrilling. Dear God, so many people in our nation live in darkness every day—spiritual darkness. They’ve lived with it so long they have become accustomed to it, the lack of light. Many live in the “land of the shadow of death,” unaware that Light is available, through Christ.
Father, our nation seems so shrouded in darkness and hate, fear and hopelessness. You are the only answer, Lord God. Those of us who have trusted your Son for our salvation know that the instant we invited You into our darkened, hopeless lives, Your Light dawned and has never been extinguished. We no longer live in the shadow—or fear—of death. Hate has been replaced with love. May those who desperately need Your light, and your hope, reach out for You. And we ask for You to bring new life and light to our nation that so desperately needs You. In the redeeming name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” — Martin Luther King,
