"The LORD is my light and my
salvation - whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life - of whom
shall I be afraid?" (Ps 27:1 NIV)
The sun was just setting when it happened: The
electricity suddenly gave up life, leaving us, as well as everyone in our
neighborhood, in the dark. Literally. One moment we were surrounded by the
splendors of artificial light, the next we were plunged into the murky gloom of
dusk, which rapidly faded into total and complete darkness.
Who do we call in such circumstances? The electric
company, naturally. But how can we call them? The phones these days are all
connected with electricity!
Unless you have a cell phone, that is, though
sometimes you have to wrench them out of the hands of your teens, who seem to
think they are some sort of a typewriter …
I did finally get through to the electric company, but
their response wasn't encouraging:
"There is a line down in your area. Someone will soon
be dispatched to look at it, if they haven't been dispatched already."
"How long will it take?"
"I'm sorry sir. There is no way to tell."
That thought alone is scary enough!
It's strange the noises we perceive when surrounded by
darkness, perfect fuel for our vivid imaginations. Our familiar home suddenly
turned into-a haunted house! I had never heard our stairs creak the way they did
that night! Was there someone else in the house? And my ceiling was groaning as
well! Oh no! And it didn't help that we kept bumping into each other. Choruses
of "Sorry! I didn't know you were there!" Rang through the evening.
And of course there were the practical problems to
resolve . . . How would we ever get out of the garage without electricity? The
automatic garage door openers run on electricity! How will we be able to feed
the family when the stove doesn't work! And what am I supposed to do with this
meowing cat? I am tired of her clinging to my leg, begging for food!
That's when we realize that we are truly blind. Is it
even the cat that's clinging to my leg? We can't even think of fixing dinner
without light! And how can we even go in search of a flashlight?
"I need to study. I have homework for tomorrow!"
Resounded a voice from the other side of the room. It sounded like my youngest
son's voice. It would be like him to say this, for he thinks you can't study
without a computer. But it could be anyone, so who knows?
In such moments we could be totally afraid, but in all
reality, we found a way out of the garage, thanks to our McIver-sort-of son. We
drove back into a section of town that still had electricity, and stood in line
with all of our neighbors at a local sandwich store. And we eventually succeeded
in locating a flashlight and a candle!
But we were still limited as to what we could truly
accomplish. My son drove back into town shortly after that, to his grandmother's
house, presumably to study, and my wife took a shower in the dark. As for me? I
decided to not waste my time! I curled up on my favorite chair with my
battery-operated I-Pod and spent some quiet time lifting my Maker up in praise
and worship. Time flew by so fast! There was no time for fear! There was no time
of boredom! In fact, when the lights came back on four hours later, I was still
delighting in the love of the Father, and I was a bit saddened that we were back
into the grind of life!
Who do we turn to when we are surrounded by the utter
darkness of our dire circumstances? Only God's love can shine through, and shine
it does! With His presence in our midst, fear is a thing of the past!
Can someone feed that meowing cat? I'm tired of her
clinging to my leg!
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.