"There is a stillness, so serene, a calmness that moves my spirit. Impressed upon my soul is a lighthouse."

August 23, 2000
Wednesday 3:48 A.M.

“The Lighthouse Amidst the Storms of Life”

There is a reason for awakening so early in the morn. There is a stillness, so serene, a calmness that moves my spirit. Impressed upon my soul is a lighthouse. I see this lighthouse standing tall, along the shores of rigid rocks. Below are the waves of the ocean. To and fro the waves dash against the cragged rocks. In and out they thrash against the shore. The waters are sometimes turbulent, yet at other times they are calm. I see a representation of my life. Sometimes things or circumstances are rocky or wavy, yet other times there is a calmness. In these times I must turn to You, Oh Lord, for strength. I must open my ears to hear, and my heart to be recipient to Your voice. Allow my eyes to see the things that You want me to see along life’s way.There the ocean waves meet the shore; there are cragged, sharp rocks. The waves hit the shore and then they bounce back into the ocean. These rocks are hard to climb upon. They are not smooth. In fact they are very rough. My feet can not withstand the roughness, which I feel upon them. Yet for some reason I am drawn there. I want to reach this lighthouse. I see a light shining out in the darkness. My spirit is drawn to this light. For some reason I know that if I reach this lighthouse, I will be saved. First, though, I must reach the lighthouse. I must climb the cragged rocks. I don’t know how to do this. If I walk on them, it will hurt my feet. If I crawl, I shall hurt my knees. So I will pray and ask You to help me. All I know is that I must reach this place. I focus on You, Oh Lord, and see You there in the storms of life. You are waiting for me with open arms. You are showing me how to reach the light. You are telling me to cast my cares upon Your shoulders. You are strong, yet I am so weak. If I reach out to You; then I will know, that You are there to carry me over the cragged rocks. It will be a test of Faith on my part. I must reach out to You. By doing so, I will say to You, “I need You so.” I will reach out and take Your hand. As I touch Your hand, I feel the strength to go on. You lift me up and carry me over the rocks and set my feet on a higher ground. On this higher ground, I look back at the rocks below. I stand at the door of the lighthouse. Yet for some reason, I look back at the rough, cragged rocks. I see my life. All of its ups and downs. The rocks that I see that bank the shore are rough, cragged. These I see as the trials and tribulations, I had to go through. For some reason though, I realize that I climbed and have reached the top. As I stand at the base of the lighthouse, I realize that it was You who carried me to this spot. I could not have reached this level, if it weren’t for Your sustaining grace. I see why You were there. You wanted me to see how weak that I am. For in this weakness, I am able to humble myself to receive Your will. As I stand here facing the lighthouse, there is a door. A single, solitary door, only one Lord. There is a light coming from the upper window at the top of the lighthouse. It shines out the window. A beacon for the entire world to see. Just as this light leads the ships to shore safely, bringing them home. You are doing the same for me. Calling me to this lighthouse for a great purpose. I feel as though I can be safe and warm inside. It is not just the physical aspect, that I am drawn too. I am drawn to Your Presence, Oh Lord! As I stand at the door, for some reason I am feeling very humble. You want me to turn to You and say “I have need for You in my life.” If I do this then I will find comfort and shelter from the storms of life. I am willing to say, “I want to trust in You. I need You in my life. I want You to be the Lord of my life.” I want You to say, “Come in.” I open the door of the lighthouse. Oh, how beautiful it is. It is warm and dry. The storms of life'’ worries are left outside. I close the door to keep out the winds and the waves of water that thrash up against it. I am here. I am inside. It is very comfortable. There is peace and a sense of well being. I feel that I know why? It is because You are here. The light I see is You, Oh Lord. Here I will stay. I will trust in You. I will stay safe from the storms of life, casting my cares upon You. Thank You, Oh Lord, for showing me Your lighthouse. It represents for me a place of quietude and relaxation. Truly a place that I can be safe and secure. Praise God for the lighthouse that shone forth from out of the quiescence of that night.(Written in a time of loneliness, sadness, I was discouraged. I prayed one night and asked God to lift my heart and give me a vision of His presence. I needed to know that He was there. He sent forth His lighthouse and to this day, I shall never forget the peace, the abounding love that He sent forth that night. God is faithful, we are never alone…)