The Power of Light
Your Nightly Prayer
by Meg Bucher
TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE
“The teaching of your word gives light, so even the simple can understand.” - Psalm 1119:130 NLT
SOMETHING TO PONDER
Light illuminates. In the dark mornings of winter, I leave artificial Christmas trees up with white lights on timers to illuminate the dark house as I tread and trod out of my bed to where the coffee is and my Bible awaits. When it’s light enough outside, I get up and go running no matter the season. I’ve got to get into the light.
The emotional strain and physical exhaustion of parenting teens sometimes take every shred of strength I have. My body’s fight-or-flight response mobilizes all the resources I have packed into my mind and sets the physical training I have put my body through into motion. I take motherhood seriously. I have trained for this. In order to survive the onslaught of teenage wasteland, I know I have to be solid, spiritually, mentally, and physically.
“For their command is a lamp and their instruction a light; their corrective discipline is the way to life.” – Proverbs 6:23 NLT
This truth from Proverbs is about listening to parents, understanding they are put in place on purpose, and being equipped with important wisdom. Teenagers scoff at stuff like that, as they will; they are teenagers. Their brains aren’t fully developed yet, but they're soaked in teenage hormones, marinated in whatever those energy drinks have in them, and now reeling from the dopamine triggered by all the tech they're immersed in. But for me, these truths keep me solid. They remind me I’ve been put in place on purpose, for such a time as this, in the lives of these children, with the wisdom they need to grow in the right direction.
“The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26 NIV
This prayer from Numbers desperately rolls out of my mouth and mind in so many ways on days when my fight or flight system alerts my mind and body of incoming emotional storms. Prayer is the rock of my parental training. Recently, I’ve been praying specifically for God to bless my parenting, and to grow in me insight, ability, confidence, courage, boldness, and authority – six words I wrote down from a note on Psalm 130:5-6 in my NLT Life Application Bible during one of those dark winter mornings. He sheds light on things we are trying to understand at the time and drops things into our daily prayer life that we don’t yet fully understand the purpose or need for. As I continue to tread through the waters, raising my daughters, I see so often the light the Lord is shedding on specific situations and seasons. Not always right away. Sometimes I have to wait for my own waves of emotion to subside, but the Lord is so faithful to guide me and sustain me.
“So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” – Hebrews 4:14-16 NLT
Every time I open God's Word, He is faithful to shine light into my life and onto my circumstances with wisdom, encouragement, and instruction. As the days get longer and lighter, I hold onto the lessons the Lord has woven into my heart and mind in the darkness. The lighter and longer the days become, the earlier I awake to meet Him in dark and quiet pieces of the morning, where the light of His Word just “hits different.” (Parents of teens ...you're welcome for that one.)
YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER
Father,
I’m so grateful for you. Your Word is powerful. It cuts through the darkness like the white lights I leave on during the long and dark winter days. You help me see what needs to be done. The truth of Scripture convicts my heart in places I need to grow, prepares me for what only you can see coming, and carries me when I am exhausted, hurting, and desperate. I don’t know how people live without Jesus. Thank you for leading me, Jehovah Rohi, and for holding my hand, Adoni. You are my training plan and partner, method of survival, light in the darkness, and my dearest friend. Please continue to bless my life with your light.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON
1. Take a few minutes to close your eyes and notice the darkness. In this moment of stillness and darkness, ask God to shed light on an area of your life that has been troubling you.
2. Scroll through the most recent photos on your phone. Take note of the light …the sunshine outside, the brightness a smile creates, and the way a cherished memory made shines with joy.
3. Challenge yourself to find a few verses about light in the Bible. Make note of them, highlight them in your Bible, and spend some time studying them. Here are some questions to start with. Who wrote the verse? What is the context? Does it speak directly into a situation in your life right now?
Reflect on tonight’s prayer and share how God met you there. Join the Your Nightly Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.
Photo Credit: © Unsplash/Riccardo Mion
Originally published Wednesday, 04 March 2026.
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