The cold wind swirled around me, sudden gusts pushing me along the gravel road. Dry meadow grass swayed and bowed at the wind’s command. Dappled light flickered beneath the forest’s canopy up ahead.
The Light Became Dappled, a Mixture of Light and Shadow
I had been walking a while, thinking perhaps too much, questioning the ways of the Lord — not with accusations, but with heartfelt desire to understand.
The past few weeks hammered away at my peace, leaving me weary of soul and needing reprieve from the constant assault of the enemy. The wind only served to magnify my despair as its brutal chill and fierce bursts of energy nearly knocked me off my feet.
As I walked, the forest canopy thickened with evergreens.
The sun glowed in the western sky awaiting its nod at the end of the day. Walking beneath the canopy the sunlight became dappled, sprinkled with patches of shadow.
The afternoon’s source of light was ahead of me, but as it shown through the trees, multiple shadows flickered across my path — a mixture of light and darkness.
In my pondering it occurred to me that I was walking through a visual of my walk of faith.
Light and darkness. Good and evil. Hope and despair. Courage and fear.
Why Was the Light Dappled?
But I asked myself, Why is the light dappled on my path?
The Spirit of the Lord stirred and whispered deep in my spirit, Because the source of light is ahead of you directing its rays towards you, piercing the obstacles with its radiance, and creating the darkness of shadows all around … just like Me.
“Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:8 (NLT)
The Lord goes before me.
His radiance lights my path.
The light of the Lord’s Presence diffuses the darkness, shattering it into a million patches of dappled gray. No longer does the darkness of struggle have a hold on me.
It occurred to me that with the Lord leading the way, surely goodness and mercy weren’t far behind.
I smiled and exhaled a deep contented sigh and mosied on home.
Selah
***********************************************
Thank you so much for stopping by. I would love for you to share what’s on your heart in the comments below. Scroll a little farther down and you’ll see where you can leave your comments. Together, we can find the nearness of God in our darkest moments.
Sweet blessings to you,
I can’t picture you just mosying along but that last sentence sure did make me smile. Yesterday I read Psalm 23 in quite a few different versions. I read it slowly and with intention. But I really love how the Amplified version writes verse 4: “Even though I walk through the [sunless] valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me.” Something about walking through the “sunless valley of the shadow of death” spoke to me about my own situation. Surely goodness and mercy must not be far behind me either. 🙂
I’m so thankful the Lord ministered to you through Psalm 23. He knows just what we need right when we need it 🙂
P.S. I think this is one of my very favorites of your blog posts. Love you 🙂
Oh Nan, this is so like the path I am walking. I just wrote my second devotional after over a year and half’s absence. As soon as I figure out all the updates to my website, I will begin posting again. I am starting not to fear the dark patches. And Marcie, your insights into Psalm 23 speak to me as well. God is good, indeed, and He has carried me through the dark.
Amen! That’s great news Norma 🙂 You will find that this difficult and dark place you’ve been in will enrich your writing with new understanding and passion to help others find their way too. Welcome back!