Shine On

It was one of those mornings when the day was beginning to show itself through the half window of a door facing the eastern sky.   As I sat in my chair with Oswald Chamber's "My Utmost for His Highest" in hand,  I looked upward from my search for a Word from God and saw it streaming through that window onto a picture entitled "Bend in the River" by an artist named Butler Brown.  In the picture in the bend of the river was an old gray dilapidated house such as dots the countryside around these parts.   

While I have always admired and liked the print, this morning's look was different.  The sun was catching the side of the gray house making it shine like it had just received a fresh coat of paint.  And while there is no bright sun in "Bend in the River," every inch of the inside of the frame seemed alight with the brightness of the sun.  All of a sudden I realized the Word I was seeking was not going to come from the book in my hands, but from the often seen and taken for granted picture hanging on the wall. 

 

As I looked at the picture with fresh and open eyes, I heard myself repeating, "The Light of God changes things.  The Light of God causes things to be seen differently."  It was for me a wonderful moment of hearing a Word from God.  Indeed.  The Light of the World changes things, too, and causes those who really see to see everything differently.  "Shine on, O Light of God.  Shine on, O Light of God.  Shine on,  Shine on my heart this day.  Amen."