A Prayer to Stand Firm in a Culture of Darkness
By Peyton Garland
Bible Reading:
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” - Ephesians 6:10-11 (NIV)
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As a young child, I wasn’t afraid of the dark. I never needed a nightlight, and the country evenings at my grandparents, where fireflies were streetlights, were peaceful. Earth’s natural sleep cycle never posed a threat to my little heart, but once I turned nine, just old enough to read headlines and fumble through the meaning of a new, scary word, “kidnapping,” the shadows suddenly seemed sinister.
Now, darkness was less about nature’s reset and more about scary things hurting me. I realized my vulnerability, how the darkness left me unable to see my surroundings. At the time, I didn’t understand this philosophical unveiling, but my little heart was finally introduced to my lack of control. For the first time, I was grappling with my humanity.
With 30+ years of experience in this world, I can say, unabashedly, that I have even less control over my life and surrounding circumstances than I did at nine years old. Adulthood ushers in financial battles, emotional heartaches, and culture wars that are often outside our control, but in the adult world, these cruel things still impact us.
My husband and I didn’t ask a semi to cause a wreck and total our car, leaving him with permanent back pain and our family thousands of dollars in rental car fees and medical bills.
I never asked for my first love to expose me to his infidelity, skewing my ability to trust any other man who came along.
And no matter how often I speak up and push back against the worldly culture fighting to infiltrate my toddler’s world, I still have to put board books back on the shelf at Barnes & Noble when sexual pictures and information plague the pages.
Darkness is our world’s terminal cancer, and our culture, particularly American culture, blindly calls the cancer a cure for insecurities and emptiness.
Christ calls us to war against culture’s pining for fleshly “fulfillment.” He demands that we stand firm against spiritual darkness and strongholds (Ephesians 6:12), and the method by which we fight is straightforward. We follow Galatians 6:14-18, step by step:
“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
Of course, our culture doesn’t sport centurion garb. We aren’t quite as familiar with 60 AD’s military uniforms. But this is no excuse to dismiss the clear ways God orders that we stand firm against a culture of darkness.
When given the opportunity, speak the truth in love. Don’t bend, twist, or water down the truth for the sake of niceties. Let truth have her bold, perfect way, but honor such perfection with Christ’s love.
Let righteousness, your character, be what protects your heart. In today’s social media culture, people might take bits and pieces of your words and turn them into something you never intended, but allow your character, the way you hold yourself each day, to guard who you are. Regardless of what others say, may your heart be bent toward honoring God and His calling of righteousness on your heart.
Daily remind yourself of the peace you have through Christ’s salvation. It’s a peace, a sanctity, you never earned on your own, which means it can never be taken away, no matter what you do or how crazy this world seems. Rest in peace. Rest in the security of your salvation. And do so by allowing faith to be your soul’s banner.
I don’t have to tell you that the world is wicked, that it’s diseased with a spiritual sickness only Christ’s return will cure. Albert Einstein said it plainly, “Just as darkness is the absence of light, evil is the absence of God.” But this is an honorable challenge, an anecdote, even if temporary, to bandage our world’s wounds until Jesus makes all things new.
Darkness ceases to exist when light is present, and if we have the Light of the world living, breathing, and being in our hearts and souls, perhaps it's time we stand firm and shine His light a little brighter.
Let’s Pray:
Father,
Forgive us for neglecting the Armor of God and the ways you protect us from head to toe and heart to soul. May we honor the offensive and defensive weapons you’ve given us to stand firm against a culture of darkness, leading with your love and light. Thank you for the victory you have given our souls and will one day give our broken world.
In Your name, Amen.
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Alexandra_pp
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