Luke 1:79

Our passage from today is taken from the prophecy of Zacharias (father of John the Baptist). He made this declaration in relation to the ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke 1:79, "To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death. To guide our feet into the way of peace." The more I study about the ministry of Christ the more I realize that He desires to release strength into our lives. All of us go through those times of "darkness" in which we are struggling to see our way through those challenging moments. We look for God but the enemy seeks to hinder our revelation of His ongoing presence; but rest assured the Lord is present to guide our steps so that we can find the peace and rest that we need. Prior to prayer time this morning the Lord began to teach me a valuable lesson that I feel that I need to share with you. I have made this comment often in the services in which I minister; "Each of us are facing our own unique set of circumstances in life which seeks to hinder our response to God." I firmly believe that statement and each day I pray for those who will be in the evening services that they will understand that God is reaching out to them to show them the way. This morning God reminded me of some individuals that He has placed in my life over the past few weeks; each of these have taught me the need to "press through" the challenges of life so that I can reach out for more of the Lord. I connected with a dear friend who has been battling brain cancer for two years. In the midst of her treatments her husband had to have prostrate cancer surgery. I connected with a friend who has faced the challenge of breast cancer three times. I heard a man testify last night of three separate struggles with cancer. I re-connected with a friend from my Jr. High School days who has fought MS and its side effects for several years. I am not giving these illustrations to discourage or overwhelm you; I want you to identify a common chord that I noticed in each of them. They had chosen to continue their pursuit of God regardless of what they were facing. The friend with MS told me that the disease had caused her to be even more sensitive to the need for more of God in her life. Someone who will read this blog today needs to remember the famous words of Winston Churchill; "Never give up, never give up." You may feel that all hope is lost; you may feel that God is distant from you; you may feel that your problems are too large and great for God (this is a lie from satan) and you could even feel that God has forgotten your location. But remember there are others who have probably felt what you are feeling but they made a conscious decision to follow after God and seek Him even in the midst of their pain. God hears the cry of His children and He will respond according to His will and way. Do not give up but press near to the presence and love of Jesus Christ. "He is as close as the mention of His name."