Put on the armor of light ... part 2

Yesterday morning my sister and I set up the tree and dressed it in lights. Our family tradition is to put a string of lights on the inside of the tree running up and down the trunk, and then, string lights around the outside branches. When we were finished we had sap all over our arms and hands and little scratches from the needles. But, it was worth it. The tree looks fantastic. (Have no fear, my sister adjusted the outer string of lights to fill that darkness at the bottom of the tree!)

While we were stringing the lights, my mind was working on "putting on the armor of light". What exactly does that mean? How do we do that? Well, it's like stringing the lights on the tree ... it needs to be put on the inside and on the outside. It needs to be a habit of the heart and lived out in the habit of daily life.

Putting the armor of light on the inside of our life means to take God's Word and "read, mark, and inwardly digest it". Today, we call this studying God's Word, but this is what Scripture means when it talks about meditating on God's Word. We read a passage of Scripture. We mark or highlight those thoughts or ideas that jump out at us. Then, we think about it, cross-reference it with other Scriptures, read commentaries about it, and consider what it looks like in real life. Finally, we think about how we can practice that "armor of light" in our own lives.

For instance, lately I've been reading quite a bit about God being my refuge. That has been the main theme jumping out at me from the Psalms appointed for each day. Not only have I underlined these passages, I have written them out in my journal. And, I have looked at other passages and stories about how God is our refuge (Lilias Trotter!). But, those are all words ... lip service to knowing that God is my refuge. Then, I have to practice it. When things appear to be bleak or without hope, I refuse to fall to the temptation that God is not at work. Instead, I remember ... God is my refuge. He is my hope and at work on my behalf. And, I pray that He strengthen this in my heart and mind. This is putting on the armor of light in me.

Putting on the armor of light on the outside of life means to practice it. It means giving testimony to how God does that for me so that others may see it and know it for themselves. This blog is one way I am practicing "God is my refuge" as an outward armor of light. I am telling others, you dear reader!, that looking to God in all circumstances, believing in His protection and care and keeping of us is real and tangible. Just this morning I looked to God in prayer for encouragement, and I said to Him out loud that I needed to hear from Him in a very tangible way that He was taking care of me, of my future. And, one hour later I received an unexpected package from UPS sitting inside the door. It was an invitation to apply for a position. Whether or not this comes to pass ... God let me know that He is my refuge. This has happened more than once over the year and each time God has shown me the present of His Presence with me in the present!

Finally, putting on the armor of light is not just what I do ... we do ... it is Christ within us. It is by the power of His Holy Spirit that we ... He and I, He and you ... string His Light on the inside trunk of our lives and on our outer branches. So let His Light shine.