Darkness and Light

Today's "Verse of the Day" in the Bible app from YouVersion is 1 Peter 2:9 which says, "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."

This reminded me about something that God has been showing me over the past few weeks and months... that sometimes the darkness needs to get REALLY dark for us humans to recognize that it has gotten dark, and that we need light.

There have been times over the past year or so that I have felt despair over the situations that are happening around me, in our country, in the world. I pray for God to relieve the situation, and sometimes He does, but sometimes He doesn't. Later I can see that by Him not relieving the situation, He has made it clear that there is a choice to be made - either stay in the darkness, or follow His calling "into His marvelous light". If there was never darkness, we wouldn't see the contrast that light makes.

Particularly when I am praying for friends who need salvation, who need to draw near to God, especially when I see that they are going through very dark times, I try to be careful to pray that God's will be done - because He may have them in darkness so they can see the contrast between the darkness and be prompted to listen for His call to His Marvelous Light!