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“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1)

Walking around the garage in complete darkness is a bad idea. If the room is pitch black, you’ll probably hurt yourself. You might bump into the car or trip over a baseball bat or a basketball. And you’ll probably stub your toe or hit your head. That could be painful!

But if you take a flashlight with you, everything will change. You’ll see where you’re going, and you won’t stub your toe or hit your head, because of the light you have with you.

What are some facts about light? Light makes things clear and easy to see. Light shows us where to go and keeps us from getting hurt. Light draws our attention to things. Can you think of some other facts about light?

The Bible says that God is light.

God makes things clear in His Word. God makes things easy to see with His will. God draws our attention to Himself. God is the perfect light. And this Light – God – belongs to you, if you are saved.

1 John 1:5 says, “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”

Next time you flip on the light-switch in your bedroom, remember this: it is just as important to see God and His light as it is to see the light in your room.

God is the perfect light.

My Response:
» What do I need God to help me see?
» How can I use God’s Word be a light in my life?

“But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever He hath pleased.” (Psalm 115:3)

Imagine being surrounded by a large invisible net. Imagine that everywhere you go – school, your house, your friend’s house – you are surrounded by this net. The net is there to stop everything from touching you. If someone throws a volleyball at you during P.E. class, it would just bounce off of nothing. If someone throws their carrots at you in the lunch room, the carrots won’t touch you. Nothing can get past the net!

One of God’s gifts to us is His sovereignty. God’s sovereignty is much like an invisible net. Situations in life – both good and bad – cannot touch you without getting God’s permission.

The word sovereignty is a big word with a simple meaning. Sovereign means “chief” or “highest in power.” To say that God is sovereign means that God is the One in charge of everything – it means nothing can get past God’s control. A car accident can’t harm you without God’s permission. Surprises and blessings can’t touch you without God’s permission. God is in control of everything!

God’s sovereignty is like a net that surrounds and protects you.

My Response:
» How does knowing that God is sovereign change my life?

“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.” (Psalm 139:14-15)

God made you. Before you were born – even long before your parents were even born – God had plans for you. The Bible says that in God’s book He had a record that told all that would happen to you. No matter what you look like or what talents or disabilities you might have been born with, God planned it all. He made you just the way you are for His own glory.

Sometimes you might be tempted to complain about how God made you. You may wish you looked like someone else, or maybe you wish you had a natural talent like one of your classmates. The Bible says that you were fearfully and wonderfully made and that God’s thoughts toward you are precious.

Although you should never think boastfully about yourself, you should recognize that God made you special and unique, and He has a special plan for your life that includes what you look like and what natural talents you have. Thank God today for making you just the way you are, and look for ways that you can bring glory to Him with your appearance and your talents.

God made me, and His thoughts toward me are precious.

My Response:
» Am I tempted to complain about the way I look or the disabilities I have?
» Do I thank God for everyone He’s made?

“As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler [shield] to all those that trust in him.” (Psalm 18:30)

“Sometimes I pray for things that the Lord doesn’t give me,” Shannon told her Sunday school teacher, Mrs. Collins.

“I understand,” Mrs. Collins said. “Sometimes when I pray, I feel sure that what I’m asking for is going to be good for me. God knows better, though, and we can be sure that God’s plan for us is the perfect plan for us.”

The Bible says that the word of the Lord &#150 everything God says – is “tried.” That means that God’s words have stood the test of time. The place where God’s words for us are recorded is the Bible. The Bible has been in men’s hands for thousands of years, but not once has it ever been wrong. There’s not one place in God’s Word where God said something that wasn’t quite true.

We, on the other hand, are wrong about things all the time. We can’t see the big picture, and so sometimes we don’t understand how God’s ways fit into the grand scheme of our whole life or for eternity. Only God knows how everything fits together. His way is perfect.

Our perfect God acts as a shield for us. We’re safe and secure when we trust in Him and follow His leading. When we step out from under the protection of our Shield, we become vulnerable to the fiery darts of the wicked.

God’s ways are sometimes different from what we would choose. But God’s plans are best in ways we can’t see, and following them keeps us safe. As for me, my own ways are sometimes wrong. But as for God, His way is perfect.

God knows better than I do, and His way is perfect.

My Response:
» Do I have faith in God’s ways or am I going my own way, putting myself outside of God’s protection?