Illuminating the Journey: The Spiritual Significance of Light

Discover the radiance that awaits you in life's dimmest moments as we explore the spiritual significance of light in our latest Encourage Her Community podcast episode. I'm your host, Jo, and together we'll unwrap the divine luminescence that scripture promises, with a heartfelt dive into how these biblical references to light can guide us through the darkest valleys of our journey. 

Join me for a soul-filling session where we'll draw from the well of Psalm 119 and trace the presence of light from the opening verses of Genesis to the hopeful promises in Revelation. As we share this time, my aim is for your heart to be encouraged, your steps to be illuminated, and for you to be inspired to then become that beacon of hope for others. Let's come together to bask in the glow of God's Word, finding strength and clarity as we continue our travels, not just as weary wanderers, but as bearers of His eternal light.

Now get out into the world and be a woman who intentionally encourages another!

#women #podcast

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:30

Good morning encouragers. Welcome back to the Encourage Her Community podcast. I'm Jo, your co-host. Here at Encourage Her. We are continuing our series of a weary traveler. If you haven't listened, go back and take a listen, as we talk about the ingredients or the tools that a weary traveler needs traveling through this world, but not being of this world. I have been a weary traveler. I will have more moments of weary traveling, as will you, and we're doing it together in community, as believers believing in the Lord to get us through.

Speaker 1: 1:10

So welcome back this Monday. I don't know where your Monday's at, I'm not sure how your weekend felt or what occurred, but I'm just glad you showed up for some encouragement, because we all need it, don't we? I'm here to encourage you and my prayer would be that, after you listen, that your cup will be full and that you will then pour out to someone else. So let me open us up in prayer as we begin our next session of Weary Traveler talking about light. Lord, thank you for this morning. Thank you for the ability to read your word, that it lights up our life, lord, and that we can share it with each other. Thank you for the technology that exists to allow us to listen at different times and be encouraged. We pray that this simple recording would do something big in the heart of the listener. Allow us to hear what it is you have for us this morning, lord, in your name, amen. All right, ladies.

Speaker 1: 2:14

So some of the tools, if you will, that the weary traveler needs. Needs has been bread, basic nourishment and water, basic hydration. An actual traveler, of course, needs those things to function, but spiritually we need them too. We've talked about how we need spiritual nourishment from the Word of God. And then we're thirsty thirstier than ever, fair to say and we need water, but we need that living water. So if a traveler is traveling and they have food and water by day, they'd be fine. But there's still a few things missing, especially when it becomes dark. So often we grow weary because of darkness, because of struggle, difficulties in life, times of unknown or maybe uncertainty, loss or grief, not sure where, where you know where you're at or how. You're hearing that this morning, but much of that I relate to.

Speaker 1: 3:20

So if you are a weary traveler, in a dark season or even a dim season, you might need light. You see people hiking with flashlights and head lamps. They're required. It's necessity to have light. We need to light up our path so that we know what is ahead. Maybe a small vision of what is ahead, but cautionary vision, to know what not to trip on If we're talking really practically, think about someone hiking to know if there's a big stone or a stick they need to step over or walk around a cliff coming a warning sign. We need that to light up so that we can see it, especially in the darkness.

Speaker 1: 4:03

And one thing that I think is just so incredible is how God, in his word, has reminded us so far that he is the food we need. He is our nourishment, he is our living water, these spiritual elements that are eternal and have eternal, lasting impact. He also is light, as we talked about last week. We can begin at the beginning of the Bible and see until the end some of these things mentioned. Light is among them.

Speaker 1: 4:37

I am not a Bible scholar by any means. I don't know the word as well as I'd like to. You could probably teach me a few things, but I wanted to spend a little time looking at some scripture that talks about light and, like I said, you can find it Genesis all the way to Revelation, starting at the beginning of creation, genesis one, verses three through five let there be light. He created light and then he separated from the light to the dark. He separated light from the darkness. He made day and night. He created light. He is the creator of light. Let's just start by acknowledging that he is the creator of light. Day one let there be light, and there was, and he said it is good. Then I want to take us to Psalm 119.

Speaker 1: 5:37

I've been spending a few weeks in Psalm 119 and I highly recommend it. There's so much in Psalm 119 that really speaks. But in Psalm 119, verse 130 really struck me. It says the unfolding of your words gives light. It gives understanding to the simple. I love that, the unfolding of your word. I'm literally picturing myself opening up my Bible. The unfolding of his word is what gives us light and understanding.

Speaker 1: 6:11

When we think about that as a weary traveler, when we're not understanding what's going on, when we have a simple mind because we're not meant to understand all of it. By the way, we won't understand everything, but he does. He has the understanding, he has the wisdom and we can get wisdom and understanding from his word. And he will use his word to speak to each of us if we just unfold that scripture and open it up and get into that daily bread and learn and grow and be given understanding on our path. His word gives us light. Not only did he create light, he provided God. God given words, god breathed words that we still have till this day. Sitting right in front of me, I have my Bible. They can give us light Again. Psalm 119, this time verse 105, your word is the lamp at my feet. Come on, a light on my path. His word directs us as weary travelers. He can open his word and gain understanding and it lights up our path as we walk. We may not see the full path, but he gives us the next step. He lights it up and shows us the way to go.

Speaker 1: 7:37

Now we move into the New Testament. We know Jesus came For God, so loved the world that he gave his only son, it says in John 3,. In John 319, it goes on to say and this is the judgment, the light has come into the world and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. But whoever does what is true comes to the light. He came to earth, incarnate, right as Jesus. He, jesus, is the light. They made the light. They left us their word, god's word I'm saying Trinity right Made the light. God left us His word to give us understanding, to light our path, and then he gave us His only Son, which would be our one true source of light. I am the light, says in John 1812. This is Jesus speaking Again. Jesus spoke to them saying I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.

Speaker 1: 8:57

I started thinking about this a little bit and I thought well, what does light give us as a weary traveler? And I thought of a few things. Maybe you'll think of a few things. What would light give you as a weary traveler? Light gives us hope and warmth, vision, clarity, wisdom, direction, maybe even comfort. Jesus came to give us those things and it is through Jesus that we receive them. And then we have access to God's word, which continues to be a source of our light. If we choose to unfold it and read it and allow it to absorb in our heart, we can carry around that light in our heart.

Speaker 1: 9:52

I love in Romans 13, verse 12,. It says put on the armor of light Every day, getting into that daily bread, eating the word of God, drinking the living water and being filled with light, comfort, direction, wisdom, vision and hope, and then getting back out onto that path and traveling some more. I want to end with just an encouragement. As you encouragers know, if you're showing up here, I'm going to believe that one of two things are happening You're here because you need encouragement and that might be true and, lord, I pray we're able to give it to you this morning. I also would love to assume that you are a woman who chooses to encourage other women. So my prayer would be that, after receiving this, that you will go out into the world and shine your light that you've been given from God out onto someone else, light up her path, give her some hope, some warmth, some vision through what you've learned from the word of God.

Speaker 1: 11:04

It says in Matthew let's see chapter five, verse 14, you are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do people light a lamp and then put it under a basket or on a stand, and it gives light to the whole house In the same way. Let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to the Father who is in heaven. Get out into the world. Let's take our lamp stand and stick it on a stand instead of under a basket. Let's let the world see what God has done, the light shining from our hearts, from our spirits, out into the world, and it will give glory to God. Let your encouragement today be light for someone else. May this encouragement light your day and give you hope and clarity and maybe some wisdom and direction as well.

Speaker 1: 12:08

Get into the word of God, eat that word, be full of the living water today as you thirst, and remember, weary traveler, who lights your path. Seek the light today. That is Jesus. That is the word of God. You got the Holy Spirit, your helper, there along with you, giving you discernment and reminders of which way to go. All right, ladies, we're in this together. We're e travelers in the world, but not of the world. Let's get out and be a different kind of woman. Let's be the woman that shows her a smile, that lends her a hug, that stays a little longer and asks more than just how are you? Ask a follow up question. Spend a little more time. Send a text, write an email, give somebody a phone call today. Be a woman who chooses to encourage Love. To you all, happy Monday. I will see you again next week as we continue our weary traveler series. Happy Monday.