“You will have the Light only a little while longer. Walk while you have the Light so that darkness will not overtake and overcome you. He who walks about in the dark does not know where he goes. While you have the Light, believe in the Light, that you may become sons of the Light and be filled with Light” (John 12:35-36a).
The world does not know where it is going, for having rejected the Light. It walks in darkness of understanding, spiritual blindness, not knowing where it will end up, until it will be too late. Psalm 91 says, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty; He will cover us with His pinions, and under His wings shall we trust and find refuge; His truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler… Because you have made the Lord your refuge and your dwelling place there shall no evil befall you, not any plague or calamity come near your tent; for He will give His angels charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways; they shall bear you up on their hands lest you dash your foot against a stone; you shall tread upon the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent shall you trample underfoot” (Ps. 91). Promises for those who remain secure under the shadow of the Almighty. It will be there that His Light and His Truth will guide those who seek to obey Him. His presence assures us of His divine protection, when we, from the heart, desire His guidance. Moses’ face shone the glory of the Lord when he left His presence. In His presence, the believer receives His Light and His Truth to guide him all through his pilgrimage. The glory of the Lord was manifested to Moses, because he desired it; he asked for it. He desired that God’s presence stayed with them through their travel to the Promised Land. That was the Light and the Truth that Moses wanted to go with them to guide them to the end.
The psalmist prayed, “Keep and guard me as the pupil of Your eye; hide me in the shadow of Your wings… from men, O Lord, from men of this world whose portion in life is idle and vain…” (Ps. 17:8,14a). Aren’t we experiencing the poison of this world and needing the Lord’s guidance? Have you felt the need to be closer to the Lord in these evil days? He calls all who are weary, and heavy- laden to receive His rest (Matt. 11:28). He offers peace, not as the world does (John 14). He says, “I am the Lord your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you in the way that you should go; Oh, that you had hearkened to My commandments! Then your peace and prosperity would have been like a flowing river, and your righteousness like the waves of sea; your offspring would have been like the sand and your descendants like the offspring of the sea; their name would not be cut off or destroyed from before Me” (Isaiah 48:17-19). God’s goodness overflows to those who will listen to Him. Even in their challenges. There is only one way to be an overcomer: to follow Him, His Word. Yes, He has sent His Light and His Truth as guidance to lead us to Him. The road is hard and rough; many valleys and deserts we must cross and face, but that’s the way to Him. Remember what the Savior YAHSHUA suffered to accomplish our atonement? A crown of thorns, a cross with nails to hold Him on, at His obedience to the Father: “Not My will, but your will be done.” That’s the road we must take of submission to Him unto death. Many martyrs of the faith submitted to His leading to the point of death. When we pray, “O, send Your Light and Your Truth, let them lead me,” our hearts must be willing to follow the road of self-sacrifice for His cause to the end, accomplishing all that He has for us to do. YAHSHUA was never going to give up accomplishing what He had come for to do, no matter how hard. He Himself said, “But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must come about this way?” (Matt. 26:54). Yes, He took all to fulfill what the Scriptures spoke of Him.
There will be a few who will remain faithful to this prayer; for it is not a prayer that comes from the lips only; it comes from heart to the heart in deep relationship with our Savior. Our love for the Lord has not yet been tested as has the love of those who have given themselves to Him unto death. They have been rewarded in heaven. One of them was Stephen. While being stoned under severe persecution, when Paul consented in his death, his prayer was, “Lord YAHSHUA receive my spirit! And falling on his knees, he cried out loudly, Lord, fix not this sin upon them! And when he had said this, he felt asleep 9in death.” (Acts 7:59-60) Not even persecution unto death of stoning, made Stephen give up his faith from following YAHSHUA’S leading. He experienced a beautiful vision just before he closed his eyes to this world. He said, “I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at God’s right hand!” (vs.56). What a welcome! Psalm 116:15 confirms his experience: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” His cross he bore and followed the Lord all the way. And as Paul said about himself, “henceforth there is laid for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord the right Judge will awarded to me, and recompense me on that day- and not to me only, but also to all those who have loved and yarned for and welcomed His appearing” (II Tim. 4:8). Stephen was without a doubt awarded with a crown of righteousness. Paul died a death of a martyr too as part of his calling.
“O, send out Your Light and Your Truth, let them guide me” to Your presence in my last breath on this earth.
