Evie Polsley believes that when we understand the Bible, it changes everything. If we let God’s Word penetrate our lives, God can use us to be his light in a world that needs his hope and truth. Evie is passionate about the power of stories and loves to be able to share how God is using normal, everyday people to build the Kingdom. It’s a grace to welcome Evie to the Farm’s table today…

Guest Post by Evie Polsley of Tyndale Bibles

The darkness enveloped the room, but the peace and rest I so desperately needed continued to evade me. The moment I slipped into sleep, a nightmare would jolt me out of bed, leaving me breathless and scared to try again. The calm and respite I was searching for in the darkness of night instead left me weak, foggy, and exhausted for the day ahead.

It was during one of these sleep-deprived mornings that I was introduced to Jill. We didn’t bump into each other on the street or meet at church. We didn’t even meet on social media. I met her when she emailed Tyndale House Publishers, where I work, to share how much she loved a Bible, and her encouraging spirit and passion for God’s Word shook me from my sleepiness.

Jill is legally blind. She has 35% of her vision left, but the way she looked to God’s Word for respite was an eye-opener for me. I have good vision (okay, good vision if I wear my contacts), but what she was seeing so clearly with her spiritual eyes made me realize how clouded my vision was as I searched for answers.

“She could hardly contain the excitement she had from finally having a Bible she could hold in her hands and read.”

In her email, Jill shared how she was having sleepless nights not from worry but from the joy of reading God’s Word.

She could hardly contain the excitement she had from finally having a Bible she could hold in her hands and read. And an app that not only allowed her to actually see study notes and videos but also showed her how to go deeper into understanding the power of God’s Word.

She couldn’t stop. She just kept reading, wanting to experience it more and more. It was studying God’s Word that kept her up at night.

“There are so many of us out there who love the Lord and struggle to find Bibles in large print that are as exciting to us as the ones available to those without a disability,” wrote Jill.

I read this and realized I am one of those who doesn’t have a visual disability, but do I yearn for the Bible like Jill does? Every time I open my eyes, I see God’s fantastic creation. Looking out my window right now, I can see him in the lush green grass and the vivid colors of a butterfly, but do I always notice?

There is nothing hindering me from grabbing and diving into one of the many Bibles right by my bed or even on my phone, but am I basking in the joy of being able to read God’s beautiful words any time I want to? Am I rejoicing that I can read the Scripture that I hold in my hand? My answers were no. And I realized I was the one who was blind.

I wanted to see a detailed list of God’s plans for me, get a road map of where I was headed, and have a GPS that would warn me of hazards along the way. God had so much he wanted to show me in his Word, but I had closed my eyes to it because it wasn’t enough for me. It wasn’t what I wanted to see.

I had created my own darkness, my own blindness, because I wanted to be in control.

“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105, NLT).

“God is bringing us light in our own darkness through the Word, and the darkness, no matter how thick, can never overcome that light.”

God’s Word is not a floodlight that lets us see the entire way before us. It’s a lamp to guide our feet. It takes us one step at a time as we obey and follow those small steps, trusting him for what is to come.

That is what Jill was seeing and I wasn’t. She longed for God’s Word, to hold it in her hand and to read it with her own eyes. I read it, but only out of routine. I closed my eyes to the truth God wanted me to experience and instead held on to my worries and plans.

“The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it” (John 1:4-5, NLT).

God is bringing us light in our own darkness through the Word, and the darkness, no matter how thick, can never overcome that light. We can shut our eyes and try to block it from our lives, but God’s light can never be extinguished.

So on those nights of worry and nightmares I now follow Jill’s lead. I will open my eyes to God’s Word and let His light penetrate my darkness.

Evie Polsley is a member of the Bible Team at Tyndale House Publishers. She loves being part of the New Living Translation team and sharing stories of transformed lives and deeper relationships with Christ when people understand and connect with him through Scripture. She is especially passionate about helping people find a Bible that breaks down barriers so they can engage in God’s Word daily, like the Super Giant Print Filament Bible. This Bible has a 16-point text font, and by scanning a page number with a phone or tablet, readers discover a world of resources, including study notes, devotionals, videos, interactive maps, graphics, music, and more.

[ Our humble thanks to Tyndale House Publishers for their partnership in today’s devotion. ]