How God’s Transforming Light Can Illuminate Your Prayers

Posted on Mar 23, 2021 Topic : Inspirational/Devotional, Women's Christian Living
Posted by : Stormie Omartian

Don’t you love what light does when it shines through a stained glass window—how it plays with the colors and manifests an even greater beauty in addition to the beauty already inherent in the artwork itself? Even when a ray of light comes through a colorless pane of glass in a regular window, it can be brilliantly effective enough to attract us as we gaze upon it—or better yet, position ourselves to let the light fall over us. I had a cat that always sought out the best rays of light coming from one of the small four-paned windows in our house, and it curled up for a nice nap in the warmth of the sun streaming in. I remember one time I laid down next to the cat to soak up some of those toasty rays of light myself. I found in the short time I was there that I was strengthened and rejuvenated. Most people—and most animals as well—are attracted to light. We find it invigorating. Though we seek a dark and quiet place to sleep, we don’t want to stay there all the time. We need light to live.

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12). Without His spiritual light coming into our lives when we receive Him, we would find ourselves stumbling in the dark times. We need Him to illuminate our mind, soul, and spirit in every way possible. And He is the only one who is able to do that. All other lights eventually go out, but not the light that comes from Him. His light is unchanging, and it never fails. That’s because He is unchanging, and He never fails. Every time you worship Him—and all that He is—you invite the light of His presence to shine in your heart, transforming you and illuminating your prayers.

How Can I Be Changed?

No one is perfect. Everyone needs to be changed in some way. That’s because God wants all of us to become more like Him. Who doesn’t need that? But only God can make changes in us that are permanent. It’s easier to see how someone else needs to change—especially your husband because you know him so well. It’s much harder to see the changes that need to happen in you. But you can ask God to show you what changes He wants to work in you and then pray for those changes to happen—whether it’s for more patience, forgiveness, and understanding—or simply to see that one of the best ways you can bless your husband is by praying for him.

Often we women judge ourselves too harshly. At the same time, some of us don’t want to admit any faults at all because, lined up next to the faults we see in our husband, we feel our faults pale in comparison. But God’s Word says that we “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Therefore, we all need to be changed. So your husband needs to be changed too, but you don’t have the responsibility of trying to change him. You can’t anyway. That’s because God wants to do that Himself. But your prayers for your husband can greatly facilitate that happening.

The truth is, we all find the liberty we need in God’s presence. That means freedom from ourselves and freedom to bask unhindered in the light of His unconditional love. The reason God’s light and love can never fail is because He is light. He is love. So the more time we spend with the Lord—especially in worship—the more of His light and love we experience, and that will always affect the way we love others and the way we pray.