‘The Light shines / In the darkness’

I had been chatting to my cousin Clara in NJ about Satanic influences in our lives today. She had written the below poem, and begins with a bit of scripture from the Gospel of John. I thought I’d share it with readers today.

The Light shines
In the darkness,
And the darkness
Has not overcome it.
—John 1:5 (RSV)

Good vs. Evil

Evil, where is your sting?
I am not afraid
for the Lord is staying very close.
You may change your form;
I can recognize you.

Attack me,
Scare me,
Tempt me,
Deceive me,
Surround me,
Overwhelm me,
I have no fear
My Lord is shielding me.

In the pit,
In the fire,
In the lion’s den,
In the wilderness,
He is there with me.

You are cunning,
You are ugly,
You are fierce,
You are ready to devour me,
but my Protector will not let you.
He is far stronger;
He is far more superior.

Fooling the people,
Deceiving my friends,
A wolf in sheep’s skin
cannot conceal its identity forever.
Your real self will emerge sooner or later.
Your true intention will be uncovered.
I have all the patience in the world
for the Lord promised me that
justice will be served.

You can attack my weaknesses.
You can aim at my reputation.
You can destroy my personal relationships.
You can hurt me but I will not yield to you.

My friends will wake up someday from your deception.
 They will return to me if I mean anything to them.
Broken relationships can be mended.
If it cannot, it was not meant to be.
We all have to make our choices
and learn from our mistakes.

It was tough to engage in a long
spiritual battle with the devil,
I was exhausted.
I felt lonely but I was not alone.
My Lord held me tight.
He whispered to me
that everything was going to be fine.

It was all dark.
Rain was pouring.
Fierce winds were blowing.
Thunder and lightening pierced
through the sky’s darkness.
Then, everything died down.
The air was suffocating.
I could not breathe.
I choked, waiting.

Finally, your evilness arrived in the form of
sand storms and hurricanes gushing toward me.
You swept through the path
destroying everything along the way.
In that final moment of confrontation,
I was as secure as ever.
In His strong arms,
I trusted Him like a child.
Nothing could harm me,
not sickness, not death,
not anything and not anyone.

He saw to it that
Satan’s power would not reach me.
Darkness came upon me,
but it could not overtake me.

I will be His light in the darkness,
and His beacon in the wilderness,
testifying and showing the whole world
His greatness and His glory.
His love will stay with His children forever;
No one can take that away.

—Clara Lee, October 10, 2003