Hey friends, welcome in. It's time for a word of encouragement from your friends at Our Daily Bread. Our devotional today was written by Glenn Packiam, and it's titled Facing the Darkness.

In the mid-1960s, two people participated in research on the effects of darkness on the human psyche.

They entered separate caves, while researchers tracked their eating and sleeping habits.

One remained in total darkness for 88 days.

The other?

126 days. Each guessed how long they could remain

in darkness and they were off by months. One took what he thought was a short nap, only to discover

he had slept for 30 hours. Darkness is disorienting. The people of God found themselves in the darkness of impending exile.

They waited unsure of what would take place. The prophet Isaiah used darkness as a metaphor

for their disorientation and as a way of speaking about God's judgment. Previously, the Egyptians had been visited with darkness as a way of speaking about God's judgment.

Previously, the Egyptians had been visited with darkness as a plague.

Now Israel found herself in darkness.

But a light would come.

Isaiah 9, verse 2 says,

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light on those living in the land of deep darkness, a light has dawned. Oppression would be broken, disorientation would end.

A child would come to change everything and bring about a new day, a day of forgiveness and freedom.

Jesus did come, and although the darkness of the world can be disorienting,

may we experience the comfort of the forgiveness, freedom, and light found in Christ.

Now let's hear the light of God's Word.

This is today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading.

It's taken from Isaiah, Chapter 9, verses 2 through 6.

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.

...