There are some nights when the dark feels darker than it should — when the worries come after everyone else is asleep, when you don’t know what to do next, when all you really need is a little light for the next step. Becky Thompson and Susan K. Pitts from the Tyndale Bible Team know something about meeting mothers right there, in those midnight moments. Night after night, they’ve gathered a community of more than two million women around prayer and the promises of God, reminding us that when we can’t see the way forward, we can still know where to turn for Light. The beautiful new Midnight Mom Devotional Bible is an invitation to do exactly that — to open the Word in the dark and find the presence of the One who has never left us there alone. Today, Becky and Susan are here at the farm’s table with a word for every mama walking through a hard or heavy season…

Guest post by Susan K. Pitts  and Becky Thompson

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I had just put three little kids to bed when the power flickered and our little house went suddenly dark.

Another Oklahoma windstorm had likely knocked an overhanging tree branch onto a wire that I didn’t even know existed somewhere “upstream” of our power supply. In the middle of nowhere, Oklahoma, we get accustomed to interruptions caused by errant winds and weather. I wasn’t sure how long the power would be out this time, but I knew that our entire night had changed in an instant.

Three little babies called out to me from the other side of the house. “Momma! We can’t see!”

Their daddy, a volunteer firefighter, was away responding to a grassfire (likely caused by the same lightning storm that had left us in the dark). I called back to my kids, “Momma’s coming! I can see!” Because that’s who we are and that’s what we do. Mommas are the ones who know what to do when the world goes suddenly  dark.

We find the light. We shine the light.

I used my phone to illuminate my path as my other hand felt for doorways.

My socked-feet slid along the hardwood floors as I rushed toward anxious hearts. “Stay where you are! I’m coming. I can hear you. See my light?” I tried to imagine from their perspectives the relief of the light coming down the hall.

One by one, I took them by their hands, and we all made our way back to my bedroom. Piled on Momma and Daddy’s bed, the dark didn’t seem so scary anymore. That’s the gift of presence.

“…a little light and the presence of love can transform even the darkest night. Sometimes that’s all it takes – a spark in the dark.“

All together, my little kids cuddled while I gathered candles. I placed one with three little wicks in front of a large mirror on my dresser, and just like that, six flames and fragrant peace filled the space. As it turns out, a little light and the presence of love can transform even the darkest night. Sometimes that’s all it takes – a spark in the dark.

King David knew this was true. He was a man anointed to be king but persecuted and oppressed on many sides. The jealous King Saul sought David’s life, and David was forced to flee into caves and forests. But he wasn’t alone. His family gathered to him. His friends joined him in hiding. And most importantly, his God was with him.

I imagine King David’s face illuminated by firelight as he hid in the back of a cave praying, 

Psalm 142:1 (NLT),

“I cry out to the Lord;

I plead for the Lord’s mercy.”

David knew where to turn for help.

He continually sought the Lord for direction, protection, and guidance. And through his pursuit of God’s heart, King David’s life demonstrated the power of prayer and the Word of the Lord to be a light for our paths.

It was David who declared in Psalm 27:1,

The Lord is my light and my salvation—

 so why should I be afraid?

The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger,

so why should I tremble?

David was certainly afraid at times. He experienced moments of trembling fear. But David knew exactly where to turn for Light when life presented no clear path forward. And so do we.

As moms in the middle of every hard or heavy season, it is the Light of God’s Word that illuminates our path. It’s the instruction of His Word that lights our next steps forward. It’s the warm glow of His Presence that kindles a fire in our hearts even when everything else feels uncertain.

Across every page of Scripture, Truth is spoken from the heart of a good Father who called to us first, I’m here! I can hear you! See my light!

My kids are a decade older now. When the power flashes and the lights go out, they don’t call for me like they used to. (They are much more likely to grab their own flashlights and complain that their devices aren’t working anymore.) But there have been moments when the type of storms that don’t take shingles from roofs and branches from tree tear through our lives.

In those moments, as a mom, I grab my Bible. I remember where to find the Light. Because that’s who we are and that’s what we do. We find the Light. We shine the Light of God’s Word.

Your word is a lamp to guide my feet

and a light for my path.

Psalm 119:105 NLT

Lord, we pray for the woman reading these words. We ask for Your Spirit to lead her toward Your heart. We pray that she would turn to Your Word to find direction and instruction, and most importantly, Lord, You. “For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see.” (Psalm 36:9 NLT). Thank You, Lord, that You are the Light of the World and You don’t leave us in the dark. In Jesus’s name we pray, amen.

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A Deeply Life-Giving Conversation: BellTower Stories

Where is God in your midnight season? Ann Voskamp, Susan K. Pitts, and Becky Thompson discuss the new Midnight Mom Devotional Bible. Come join us in BellTower Stories, up in the 1896 bell tower our little Village Table church, as “the bells are the voice of the church, with tones that touch and search.” (Longfellow)

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