turns my darkness into light and my 🙏 prayer for you
It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure.
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The second half of Psalm 18 has several potent promises. Verse 25 begins this way:
To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the devious you show yourself shrewd. You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty. You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.
I spent a long time with my mother-in-law recently, over 2 months away from my kitties. One surprising thing she told me was that she hates nighttime. She feels alone. Darkness is when she can’t call for help, in her mind. This is why the verses above hit me so hard.
It is God’s promise to keep my lamp burning, my fire, my desire for Him, my joy and hope in Him. But also, to have light. God turns my darkness into light. Nighttime isn’t as lonely when God turns it into light. Nothing is unknown or scary, because He is with me. With His help, I can do anything, even scale a wall or fight the demons in the night.
There is a hymn that goes, “I know who holds tomorrow, and I know who holds my hand.” Sometimes we forget just who God is and how powerful He is.
As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You make your saving help my shield, and your right hand sustains me; your help has made me great. You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way.
God’s way is perfect. His word is flawless. He shields me because I take refuge in Him. He is my Rock, my God. He arms me with strength. The Lord Eternal keeps my way secure. I can easily stand on the heights without fear of falling.
God understands I am in a spiritual battle, so He trains me to be ready. His strength and right hand sustain me. Your saving help is my shield and has made me large in the eyes of my enemies. You provide a wide path for my feet. My ankles remain firmly in place; they do not give way.
What kind of help does God provide? Will the battles change?
I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed. I crushed them so that they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet. You armed me with strength for battle; you humbled my adversaries before me. You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I destroyed my foes.
God helps me with my enemies. Who are my true enemies? The fallen spiritual beings, who are also called demons. They influence humans to do their bidding, carrying out their plans in varying levels of participation. Humans may be appalled, but choose to ignore what is happening, thinking to wash their hands of any responsibility, as Herod did with Christ Jesus.
But some humans have been given over to their physical pleasures and lusts until they have nothing to stop them from doing wrong. They feel no shame or guilt. These are the ones who can only be defeated through the power of God. God arms me with strength. He can make them flee from a battle.
They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—to the Lord, but he did not answer. I beat them as fine as windblown dust; I trampled them like mud in the streets. You have delivered me from the attacks of the people; you have made me the head of nations. People I did not know now serve me, foreigners cower before me; as soon as they hear of me, they obey me. They all lose heart; they come trembling from their strongholds.
Imagine what it would be like to call for God’s help and not have the confidence that He will hear you and answer you. Because of the sacrifice of Christ Jesus, God has delivered me from attacks. People now serve me. They obey me. They come trembling to seek God. Lord, help me to show them who You are!
The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior! He is the God who avenges me, who subdues nations under me, who saves me from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from a violent man you rescued me. Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing the praises of your name. He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing love to his anointed, to David and to his descendants forever.
Because Christ Jesus lives, I praise the Lord God, my Savior. He is the one who avenges me and saves me. Thank You, Lord, for rescuing me from violent men. He shows me unfailing love.
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Verse of the Week and My Prayer for You
Psalm 18:25-50
To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the devious you show yourself shrewd. You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty. You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.
As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You make your saving help my shield, and your right hand sustains me; your help has made me great. You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way.
I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed. I crushed them so that they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet. You armed me with strength for battle; you humbled my adversaries before me. You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I destroyed my foes.
They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—to the Lord, but he did not answer. I beat them as fine as windblown dust; I trampled them like mud in the streets. You have delivered me from the attacks of the people; you have made me the head of nations. People I did not know now serve me, foreigners cower before me; as soon as they hear of me, they obey me. They all lose heart; they come trembling from their strongholds.
The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior! He is the God who avenges me, who subdues nations under me, who saves me from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from a violent man you rescued me. Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing the praises of your name. He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing love to his anointed, to David and to his descendants forever.
Prayer
Lord, thank You for my reader. She is faithful to You, and You are faithful to her. My reader is humble, and You save her. You keep her light burning and turn her darkness into light. She takes refuge in You, and You shield her.
Thank You, Lord, that she trusts in You. You arm her with strength, making her way secure. Thank You, Lord, for sustaining her daily. She sings praises to Your name, and You give her Your unfailing love.
Lord, You are our Great and Mighty King. You fight for us every day. We trust in You. We rest in You, knowing You are faithful. Help us to be grateful and praise Your name, Almighty God. Be glorified through her. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Have a blessed week! Thank you for reading!
The Making of Aimi Wilby And the Giant Forest
A how-to book - Retired Dad and 11-yo daughter collaborate on a debut novel, now a 6-book series
Kids love to read AND write when a parent gets involved.
What if an ordinary dad and his 11-year-old daughter could write a whole fantasy series together… in the car?
That’s exactly what happened on the brutal Silicon Valley commutes between Sunnyvale and Los Altos.
In The Making of The Giant Forest, I share the real, messy, and surprisingly fun story of how my daughter Mia and I created the first book in our six-book Growing Up Aimi series — more than 2,000 pages and nearly 9,000 downloads so far.
This isn’t a polished “how-to” success story. It’s the honest record of how we actually did it: the 12 simple steps we followed, the arguments, the breakthroughs, the ridiculous ideas, the late-night document sharing, and the pure joy of creating something together.
You’ll see exactly how we made time, brainstormed stories, handled feedback from Mia’s friends, set deadlines, and even why we ended up with two completely different endings (you get to read both).
Along the way, I also share two bonus stories about Mia’s older brothers and what they taught me about letting kids chase their own dreams.
Whether you want to write a book with your child, start a creative project together, or simply have better conversations with them, this short book was written for you.
If an old guy in his sixties and his little girl could do it, maybe you and yours can too.
Start reading The Giant Forest (Book 1 of the Growing Up Aimi series) today — it’s where the adventure really begins.
Available in paperback, hardcover, ebook, and audiobook.