The Lord is Light

When an ice storm swept through our North Carolina Mountains, we lost our electricity. That night, our mountains turned as black as coal. No moon or stars shone above us; no house lights twinkled on neighboring mountains.

Our family gathered around the fireplace, and we sipped on mugs of spiced tea, poured from my husband’s camping coffee pot. Our son noticed one lone set of headlights bobbing along a distant road. They brought to mind headlights from another place and time cutting through a thick darkness.

A friend and I traveled with a missionary couple into Haiti’s remote northwest mountains. The sun had set and the night soon dropped around us like a black cloak. Our truck lights shone like tiny pinpoints as we bounced along, hours from a safe stopping place. We scooted closer to each other and sang praise songs, assured God watched over us, as He had for nearly a week.

Though bandits roamed the hillsides, we had never been accosted. Though we had no choice but to eat food from a roadside vendor, including molded bread, no one had become ill. And though we had been in the midst of villagers paying homage to Satan, the people had not harmed us. God’s provision and protection is real. If I have trouble seeing Him at work in my every-day life, I often think of that mission trip. He opened my eyes to His protection and His provision, His light.

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? Psalm 27:1 RSV

Note: After our trip to Haiti, Joyce Barnett and I co-wrote a book, Just Go!, about an amazing missionary couple who continue to minister to the Haitian people. The book can be ordered through Amazon.