“The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun will not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your life.” (Psalm 121:5-7 Amplified Bible)
(Correction: Hopefully, your inquisitive mind or your insistent Bible study habits caused you to practice your normal initiative and check out yesterday’s opening verse. It should have read Ecclesiastes 12:1-3 as opposed to Ephesians 12:1-3. Good for you! Thanks to a faithful friend and brother in the Lord who pointed it out! His action should cause us all to either to continue or to start to check the Scriptures cited. Now, let’s proceed with today’s meditation.)
“The Night Light!” The imagination of toddlers ignites fears of the dark. The parental solution is a night light in some form or the other. Young children are able to rest easier with just a little illumination. On the other end of the age spectrum, senior citizens use night lights to avoid stumbling in the dark. Now some adults will say that they don’t use night lights, but they can do away with the contention when they recognize that it’s just a matter of semantics or one’s personal definition that makes the statement partially true. Because that light at the end of the hallway that you keep on, it’s a night light. The door to your bedroom that you keep open that allows the brightness from the lamp in the living room to be seen, even if just slightly. It’s a night light thing. The TV you leave on in your bedroom, albeit you have a timer set to turn it off at a time where you have dozed off comfortably, that’s a night light. The bathroom light that you leave on in your in vogue ensuite or impressive room size closet, with the door just ajar, it’s a night light. The clock in your room that glows in the dark, it’s a night light too. So if the truth be told, many of us use a night light of some form or the other.
Recently I changed cable companies. The old cable box had a digital clock on it that shone 24 hours a day. I had always wondered if that had anything to do with me rising up way before 4:30. My wife faithfully sets the clock alarm for me, but it seldom gets a chance to do its job. I wake up before it sounds off, but with the new cable box, one that takes a nap from illuminating at nighttime, I have slept just a little bit longer. Could it be that the night light of the old cable box the culprit that was waking me up and causing me to have disruptive sleep most nights? Was the new box my non-addictive sleep aid where no physician prescription was required? I went to the science for an explanation. In an article written by Kathy Foster, I found out that the reasons why it is easier to sleep when you’re in a dark room. She explains that people may be surprised to learn that of all the things you encounter on a daily basis, light has the biggest impact on your sleep. Your circadian (a big word that means “about day”) rhythm, or sleep-wake cycle is attuned to the patterns of the sun: when its light you feel awake, and when its dark, you feel tired.
In a conversation with my sister I shared my story about switching the cable company, minimizing the light in the room, and sleeping undisturbed just a little bit longer. She made a profound, teaching statement to her preacher brother, “We need the light.” I did not get it at first and was continuing to share about my sleep habits being improved. So, she reels me back in to reiterate the spiritual point she was making, “We need the light.” I got it and agreed wholeheartedly.
I shared all this with you so that you can be reminded today to walk in the light, the beautiful light, to come where the dewdrops of mercy shine bright and declare, “Shine all around me by day and by night, Jesus the Light of the world!” Yes, my sister said it all, “We need the light!” And just as a side note, that old Deacon lead devotion song makes so much more sense now, doesn’t it? You remember the song, “Shine on me, O’ Lawd, shine on me…” This Tuesday morning my friend, Let the Lord shine on you today and let His word light up your path! Be blessed!
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King