People talk about ‘lightbulb moments’, those times when it’s as if the light goes on and understanding dawns, maybe for the first time, maybe in a new way. As a teacher, it’s one of my greatest privileges when I see those moments in a pupil’s life, when I see them ‘get’ what I’m trying to teach, when they move from just hearing the words I say to actually understanding them.
It’s often the same for us: there are moments when God’s word really comes alive in our lives and we finally ‘see’ what God is saying or we understand what something means in a fresh way. We might not be able to explain why we didn’t see this before; we might not be able to articulate what has happened, but something deep within us opens up and we finally ‘get’ it!
Those moments are precious and can happen anywhere, anyplace, often at the most unlikely times. We don’t have to be in a church service or even reading the Bible, though these are obviously times when understanding can dawn simply because we are in a place where we are listening and are receptive to God. But we might hear His still, small voice while we’re walking the dog or washing the dishes. God is able to communicate with us at any time and in any place.
I can remember one such moment, achingly simple as I re-tell the story and yet life-changing for me in ways I still can’t fully articulate. It happened in 2006, at the start of a new school year, while I was worshipping with my colleagues. It happened through a song, the Chris Tomlin song ‘Enough’, as the words reached deep into me and opened my eyes to the fact that no matter what happened in my life, God was sufficient for me:
“And all of You is more than enough for all of me,
For every thirst and every need:
You satisfy me with Your love
And all I have in You is more than enough.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHEm-b4IRYk
I had known the verse in 2 Corinthians 12:9 (“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness”) for years, but suddenly it was as if that verse had been ‘switched on’ (rather like the Christmas lights get switched on at a specific time in towns and cities throughout the country). Within the next two months, all kinds of things happened – colleagues’ illnesses, a teenage pregnancy at school, my own diagnosis with diabetes – which really rocked the security of my world. But still this song and this verse kept shining in the darkness and the darkness could not overcome it.
We can’t ‘make’ such moments happen. But we can stop, pause, listen for God’s voice (as Dave recently preached on the benefits of silence) and be aware that He is the Light of the world, able to turn on the lightbulbs whenever we need them!