You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. Matthew 5:14-15.

You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. James 1:19-20.

And continuing our 351 Old Testament prophecies, promises of God, fulfilled in Jesus Christ, we come to number 116: Betrayed by a friend, not an enemy. Psalm 55:12-14: For it is not an enemy who reproaches me, then I could bear it; nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me, then I could hide myself from him. But it is you, a man my equal, my companion and my familiar friend; we who had sweet fellowship together walked in the house of God in the throng. And, John 13:18: I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, “He who eats My bread has lifted up his heel against Me.”

As I sat down to write this blog this morning, I couldn’t get the password to open the computer. Not being a computer person, I began to panic. Internet was connected. Then I saw that the keyboard wasn’t inputting the keystrokes as I typed them as it had been doing initially. So I followed the thin black cord to the thing that plugs in, unplugged it and plugged it into a different port and it worked and I was able to access my computer. And I can’t help now thinking about what we are plugged into that maybe needs to be unplugged. As I shared in my blog yesterday, the worry and concern for our world today is a state I can become overwhelmed in. And He reminded me this morning in prayer that He will gather His children, that He will bind us to Him. We are so connected in this world to everything happening in real time including every opinion and every certainty of what is going on; and that too leaves me overwhelmed and in panic.

Yesterday I read a psalm of Asaph, Psalm 73. He talked about the evil and how it seems those who do awful things prosper so they can continue doing wrong. Not that different from today. And these words of Asaph: When I pondered to understand this, it was troublesome in my sight until I came into the sanctuary of God…when my heart was embittered and I was pierced within, then I was senseless and ignorant; I was like a beast before You. Nevertheless – I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand. With Your counsel You will guide me, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever…but as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all of Your works.

Jesus needed time in prayer to be alone with the Father. So did Asaph, David, Daniel, and all those who have found that the way of this world does not lead to the understanding that is the light of the world. And how we need that light today. There was one port that my keyboard responded to this morning. The port I need is coming into the sanctuary of Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit. Just as Jesus promised, “But an hour is coming – and now is – when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.” John 4:23. That is the light we all of us need that cannot be hidden as we turn to God for understanding, and in turning to Him, find healing.

***True prayer is neither a mere mental exercise nor a vocal performance. It is far deeper than that – it is a spiritual transaction with the Creator of Heaven and Earth. Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892).***