When I sit in darkness, Yahweh will be a light to me.

Micah 7:8

When I was seventeen, I painted a picture of a pathway in the darkness.  A light shone down upon it.  The source of that light was unseen. In the dark, somber background,  another light flickered.  That light to me symbolized my hope that somewhere out there in all that worldly darkness, there was truth and goodness.  The world was and is in darkness.  That was evident to me, even at that young age.  But I was searching for the light.

A decade later Jesus Christ shined His face upon me as I sat in darkness.  He delivered me from vain religiosity and a pseudo-peace movement.  So I expressed my joy at finally knowing the Light through a pastel.  The woodland path this time was flooded with light and the source of the Light in the picture was obviously the cross of Christ and the Spirit dove. These two pieces of art adorned my home’s entryway for twenty years. Often people commented on them and I was able to tell them how the Lord is the Light in my life.

But yesterday, that old painting I rehung elsewhere.  I replaced it.  What would make me do such a thing?  There is a new piece of artwork now in my foyer.  It is an elegant gift straight from my Abba Father and it speaks volumes to me.

I won this picture in the drawing at our choir’s Christmas rehearsal. Every year at this big rehearsal, door prizes are given away, including a nativity set at the end as the grand prize. I had never won any of these prizes. However, I had heard that this year’s grand prize was a particularly special one so I asked my Daddy for it, adding that I’d understand if there was someone else to whom He knew it would be more important.

The two days prior to this rehearsal, I had been at a conference. We had been praying to God, “Pick me! Pick me!” We were crying out to God to use us more to save the lost. I was asking God to “pick me” to bring His grace and love to many more children worldwide. So the very next day, God picked me – HalleluYAH! – to receive this very special painting of the Nativity of Christ.

Like my old painting, there is much darkness in this picture, but there is overwhelming Light illuminating from the Babe, Immanuel, “God with us”.   And my Father picked me to receive this beautiful work of art!  I believe He thus confirmed to me that He will give me the desire of my heart in also picking me and sending me to tell many more orphans and children that Jesus Christ wants to have His Nativity in their little hearts.   May the children dance in His Light, the true Light of Life!   Let the children come and be children of the Light!