Tag Archives: periods of darkness

The Working Hand of God

Whether you are an artist, architect or designer, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  In the early stages of any project, its hard to visualize the direction and progress an individual is making.  Yet, time has a way of shaping the horizon, unveiling blind eyes to the Creator of this world.

In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, Colossians 2:11.

Unfortunately, I find myself in a transitional phase, a moment when my calling is a mystery to me, vague and unclear.  During these periods of darkness, the hand of God on your life is invisible.  Like a storm cloud shading the sun, sometimes days turn into night.  Although the hand of God is at work, a lack of progress can make people feel like their life doesn’t have any rhyme or reason.

Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus, Philippians 1:6.

According to Acts 16, the apostle Paul was arrested for healing a slave girl oppressed by a spirit during a visit to Philippi.  While behind bars, Paul was not able to see the hand of God at work initially.  However, following an earthquake, Paul realized this trial occurred so that he would be able to meet and lead the prison guard along with his family to Christ.  This event inspired the works above in Philippians 1:6.  In view of this, as you struggle to make sense of trying times, don’t forget that behind the scenes the hand of the Lord is at work.

by Jay Mankus

How Bright is Your Star?

Sirius, Canopus and Rigil Kentaurus are the 3 brightest stars as seen from earth.  Sirius, the brightest of all the stars in the midnight sky comes from the Greek word scorching.  The further you get from civilization, the more visible the smaller stars become.  From a worldly perspective, are you overlooked like a tiny star, do you blend in like a medium one or does the aura you give off shine bright?

Said the night wind to the little lamb
Do you see what I see
Way up in the sky little lamb
Do you see what I see
A star, a star
Dancing in the night
With a tail as big as a kite
With a tail as big as a kite

One of my favorite Christmas carols is Do You Hear What I Hear?  The lyrics of this classic uses hearing and seeing to discern what happened on the night of Jesus’ birth.  If you get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life, the senses God gave you are often neglected, missing the miracles right in front of you.  Therefore, if you want to make a difference in life, stop, drop what you’re doing and take a look around every now and then to help brighten the lives of others.

However, all human beings experience periods of darkness, times when your desire to press on fades.  As your fire dims, the lights of others may be the only source of hope you see.  If the light of Christians around you is absent, stars can burn out permanently.  How bright is your star currently?  Well, for the sake of Christmas, may the Holy Spirit rekindle the flame inside your soul so that silent nights will remain bright.

by Jay Mankus