NIGHT LIGHT
The Chowchilla News
Mickey awakened in the
middle of the night to the strong steady sound of someone, in the house,
breathing. It had to be an intruder since his wife and kids were all =
out
of town visiting relatives. Perhaps it was a burglar who thought no o=
ne
was home. He was terrified.
Sliding noiselessly o=
ut of
bed, he quietly crawled along the floor toward the hall. The breathing
was so clear and so close he just knew that the bad guy was right out in the
hallway.
Opening the bedroom d=
oor he
saw that the hall was clear but still heard the breathing, now even louder.=
It
was coming from the living room.
Yet the light driftin=
g in
through the front window showed that the living the room was empty too.
The phantom’s powerful breath seemed to be coming from the front
porch!
Working up his courag=
e Mick
opened the door and stepped outside. No one to be seen but the breath=
ing
surrounded him.
It beckoned him out t= o the sidewalk and there as he looked down the street he let out a huge sigh of relief. The “breathing” was coming from the stream-engine locomotive waiting down on the train tracks a few blocks away! It was rhythmically releasing bursts of steam and still sounded perfectly human! <= o:p>
Mickey is also my late
father, or Dad. The breathing train story he told whenever I as=
ked.
It occurred around 1953 in
As it did to Dad, the=
night
plays tricks on us all! And worse than the outside night terrors are =
the
dark fears that can get into our insides---captivating our imaginations and
robbing our peace, joy, hopes and dreams.
“Let there be
light!” these glorious words are the God’s first spoken words
recorded in the Bible. His words had the power to eliminate the darkn=
ess.
“And there was light!” (Genesis 1:1-2)
God’s words sti=
ll
have the same power to dispel darkness and create light. Now they do it into
the darkness of our fearful hearts and troubled souls.
The Bible says, ̶=
0;The
entrance of God’s words gives light...” It also says,
“God’s word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”=
And
Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not
walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) =
While all of natural creation speaks out God’s existence, the Bible is the source for dire= ctly getting his words. Let it gain entrance through your eyes and ears in= to your heart. Read it…absorb it…speak it out…hear it…and store it in your heart. Keep doing these things until you believe it! Then there will be light, bursting into your being, and destroying the works of darkness. (John 1:5; Ephesians 5:11; Romans 10:17)<= o:p>
The Reverend John Parker facilita=
tes
Christ’s abundant living at ChristChurch of Chowchilla located at