Put Up The Shades!

Put Up The Shades!

Martha Meister Keily

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light." Isa 9:2

An anxious father sat beside the bed of his critically ill daughter. The family doctor, preparing to leave, assured the parents that if the child lived through the night, she would probably regain her health. The next morning the doctor returned to find the father in the darkened room, still crouched by the bed. After examining the girl, the physician walked to the window, threw up the shade, and said, "Morning has come." Who among us has not been guilty of wringing our hands in the darkness, unaware of the light?

Once when Martin Luther was in the depths of despair, his wife dressed herself in mourning clothes. When he asked her who had died, she answered that she had assumed from his actions that God himself was dead.

Today lift up the shades of despair and anxiety and allow his light of faith and hope to stream in.

Read: 1 John 2:1-6

Pray: Father of light, forgive us that we have too often acted like children of darkness. When we are depressed, flood us with thy light so that we can see clearly that thou hast power over all things. In Christ's name. Amen.

Devotions for Women at Home by Martha Meister Kiely, page 83 Abingdon Press ISBN #0-687-10679-6