By Katie-Harmon McLaughlin, Director of Formation Ministries

I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

It is in the bleakest, dimmest moments along my spiritual journey that I have recognized a yearning for even a spark to illuminate just enough for the way ahead. I notice how darkness has made visible light I would otherwise not see, like the soft glow of the moon and the radiance of the stars and the dancing flame of a candle. In my journey, these are the subtle ways that Sacred Presence keeps showing up as grace, even when I cannot access it on my own.

Just when I think all hope is gone and the darkness of uncertainty or despair overwhelms, I am reminded of the words from the Psalmist, that “even darkness is not dark to you, the night is as bright as the day” (Psalm 139). When God seems inaccessible, when I lose my ability to feel the presence, the darkness carries its own invitation by evoking the longing for God that is the origin of my faith.

When I cry, “Where are you in this, God?” I am also acknowledging my aching desire to know God, sense God, be with God in the realities of this life. The longing itself is light in the dark. It stokes what is most essential in the soul during the longest nights of our faith and waits with perseverance for a season when a brighter light will arrive again.

The darkness is for growth, and for preparation for the light that will come. This light, even now, is rising, stretching out across this great earth as it turns and turns. It is just beginning again—as it always does and always will—to touch everything in its path, as mercy, as grace that flows unrestricted.

Prayer Phrase

“I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).

Spiritual Practice

Light

Close your eyes and become centered with your breath. As you breathe gently in and out, reflect on the statement, “The light of God is in all things.” The light has a bright, soft beauty and radiates God’s healing love. The light of God reaches you and permeates you with a deep sense of peace. Rest in the light as it surrounds and fills you. Thank God that you live in God’s light, and it lives in you.

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.