Carina Francke

Scripture: 1 Kings 8:12:"Then Solomon said, The Lord said that He would dwell in the thick darkness."

House hunting involves a lot of challenges but the one with the nice, well planned garden catches the eye immediately. It's like an oasis to the thirsty in a desert of neglected, untidy houses. Your feet easily find their way to the front door.  At last something worthwhile! No broken gutters, cracked veranda tiles or peeled paint. It is a house that calls out: Come! Move in!

Excited and full of expectation you enter the front door, only to shrink back by what meets your eyes.

Fortunately this is not our Heavenly Father's way of house hunting. He works upside down. He starts from the inside of the house and when He sees darkness, His decision is made:  "This is where I want to stay!" Darkness and no amount of dirt discourages Him because this is exactly what He's hunting for - confused and lost people stumbling and wandering around in darkness.

You see, He is the Light - the Light who, when He moves into a house, conquers and chases away darkness; gives life where death reigns and changes His human houses into lighthouses that shine far and brightly. After all, it is He who said:"I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."(John 8:12).

And this is the secret: to follow Him because only in the presence of His light can we become lighthouses of whom He says, "This is My house, this is where I am at home; My people became a home for Me." It is also only in His light that we are able to discern what part we play in "making a home" for Him.  Every fibre of our being is involved - our spirit, body, mind and soul.

But, eventually, it is also only in His light that I will be able to create a home in my heart and through my life for my family and my neighbor.

Prayer: Heavenly Father what an awe-inspiring thought that You came to live in my darkness to switch on the light.  I want to be more than a house; I want to be a home to You and every person that crosses my path. Help me to remember that this is only possible if I acknowledge You as the Light of my life every moment of my day. Amen.