Key Verse: 2 Kings 8:19
Yet the Lord would not destroy Judah, for the sake of His servant David, as He promised him to give a lamp to him and his sons forever.

The writer of these words in our reading must have caught a faint glimpse of the glory that was to come, that of Jesus, Son of David. He spoke prophetically when he wrote that God had promised David a lamp, for Jesus is the Light of the world, a Light that shines more brightly than many lamps. Consider the statements of Jesus before and after His “I am the Light of the world” declaration (John 8:1-20). The hymn, “Amazing Grace” gets it right: “I…was blind but now I see.” In Christ we’ve moved out of the darkness into the light.
In yesterday’s reading, the servant of Elisha, Gehazi, became a leper. We considered the possibility that Gehazi may have been one of the lepers who said, “We are not doing what is right. This is a day of good news and we remain silent” (2 Kings 7:9). He may have repented and the leprosy healed, because here we see him back in his job as Elisha’s assistant. This is speculation, as we are not told the details. God’s mercy “endures forever.” We are told this 26 times in the 26 verses of Psalm 136.
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Lord Jesus, You light up my life. I pray for grace to always walk in the light as You are in the light (1 John 1:7). In Your bright and shining Name I pray, Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:
I’ll never forget the morning that Debbie Boone appeared on 100 Huntley Street in the late 80’s. Her hit song You Light Up My Life had been at the top of the pop charts. She was in Toronto in a stage production where she was playing the part of Maria Von Trapp in The Sound of Music. As we entered into our prayer time before going to air, Debbie sobbed, saying to the Lord, “It’s been so long, so long, Lord.” She was experiencing the Presence of the Lord in our Green Room as we knelt in prayer, and with her busy schedule, even though she knew Jesus as her Saviour, she may not have taken the time to let His Light permeate her daily experience. I trust I’m not being too repetitive when I write again…Jesus changes everything! I pray again, “Lord Jesus, I throw open the blinds that hide or dim Your Light. I see You Jesus! Shine Jesus shine!” As the Scriptures say, “But we see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone” (Hebrews 2:9).

Yours for Jesus, our “Lamp,”