I sat down in my chair this morning, knowing that I felt no motivation to do ANYTHING today, including opening my Bible. Before I went ahead and opened up my Bible anyway, I talked to God quietly, reflecting and resting in the fact that he knows every facet of me, my story and my future. I asked him to pull me out of this loop of depression I can feel beginning to cling to me again. I also prayed that his will be done and that he would use me as an instrument.

I opened my Bible to nowhere in particular, it opened up to John 8. I began to read. I backed up a little to get some context, then I read through. It was mostly about Jesus in the midst of some clashes with the Pharisees. A few lines of what Jesus said stuck out to me. I read for a little bit, then closed the book. I opened up my phone and read the verse of the day on my Bible App… it was John 8:12. A verse in the chapters I had just read. One of the lines that had stuck out to me. God gave me that verse to read again. God gave me that verse. That verse for today. That verse in response to my prayer.

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

Behind my prayer of, “pull me out of this depression,” is a host of feelings. Here’s just a few of them: Why does depression have to exist? Why does pain get to rule in this world? Why does it have to be this way?

This verse says that it doesn’t have to be this way. Yes, this world is full of shadows    it’s THE Valley of the Shadow of Death (Psalm 23), for goodness sake! But Jesus made another way. IF you follow me, you won’t HAVE to walk in darkness… I can choose to walk in the shadows, sometimes it feels like the shadows are so right, like they are the only friends that understand. This life feels so hopeless at times.

But then the rays of God’s truth stab holes in the canvas of the dark, and they overcome it. They tear it in two.

I don’t HAVE TO walk in darkness BECAUSE I have the light that leads to life. It’s something I already have. I just have to pull it out from the bag it gets sealed up in sometimes.

The best words in that verse are, “Jesus said,“ because if Jesus said it, it’s true. So when the darkness says, “Why bother? There’s really no point. You’re not going to get out of this. This is the truth of life.” I encourage you, friend    get out your Bible and scan it for those red letter words. The words that Jesus says. Don’t forget, the Bible is our two-edged sword (Ephesians 6:17). We need it when we’re in battle with the Enemy. The Enemy who is, after all, the Father of Lies. He whispers in to the noxious darkness that he paints and makes it feel like truth. He’s crafty and cunning, and he’d love to see you fall.

I’m not claiming that this verse has miraculously fixed me this morning, but it certainly has lifted my head up. And I’m going to do another thing or two to walk in the light today. I’m going to start by taking an actual walk… in the sunlight. I love you, friend. Don’t ever stop fighting. Don’t ever forget that Jesus is the light that leads to life.