John 8:12 (NIV)
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Devotion
Years ago when my daughter was serving in the Peace Corps in Morocco, my husband and I went for a two-week visit to see her site, meet the people she was working with, and generally take a quick tour of the country. We spent a day in Fez, where we had to hire a guide to take us through the incredible ancient labyrinth of shops, markets, mosques, and homes. It was like nowhere I had ever been before, with covered corridors twisting in every direction and blank unlabeled doors that could have led to hovels or palaces or anything in-between. I was grateful for the guide through the tangled maze.
After he left us, we stopped for dinner before heading back to our hotel. Too late we realized that our only path back required walking down a long now-dark deserted corridor. And by dark, I mean totally black, can’t-see-your-hand-in-front-of-your-face dark. All I could think about was that if I was planning to mug someone, this would be a great spot. We hadn’t taken our phones into the old city, so we couldn’t just pull out a convenient flashlight. We didn’t say anything, butreached for each other’s hands, and with one side of our trio keeping one hand on the wall to be sure we were going forward we marched down through the 80 yards of darkness until we reached some light and eventually the tucked-away door to our welcoming hotel.
Much of life can seem like that walk down a scary path. But Jesus is the Light of the World, and he leads us to clarity, safety, and salvation. Alone or with companions to hold our hands, we can follow him to have “the light of life.”
Prayer
Dear Lord, thank you for the light in the darkness. Help us to make time to seek your light and to trust in your salvation. Amen.
Laura Jones