Many of us have stories about struggles with the darkness–some as dramatic as those we find in the book of Acts. I think we learn how to stand in those harder situations when we practice standing in the Lord in the smaller day-to-day situations.  

I had an annoying problem. The power grid in our community wasn’t strong enough to sustain the growing demands. Daily, the power went out multiple times, causing not only the electricity to go out, but also the water to stop being pumped to my flat. 

The situation was annoying and inconvenient. In the words of Monty Python, “It’s just a flesh wound.” However, I realized just how easy it was for me to slip into resentment of the situation, indignation that I should have to experience such an inconvenience. I felt pride and bitterness that things were not just how I would like them. The arrows were coming, I could not stop them. But I knew that I did not want to let my “flesh wound” fester, rather I wanted to stand. 

After one morning praying about my heart and the electricity, I had the idea that every time the electricity flickered, I would pray for our neighbors. I was living in a building with 20 units and would now pray that God would bless them, show himself to them, and give them peace. Thus began a new habit and a new posture. 

Every day (with the added enthusiasm of my three little ones) I found myself praying for the neighbors multiple times. What had begun as an annoying interruption to my routine became a God-ordained pause and reminder to stop and pray. I wanted the lights to be on in my flat, but I grew in my desire that the Light would be known in theirs. I grew in my love and compassion for my community. I also grew in my expectation to see the Lord work in the homes around me. I now had a built-in reminder to lift my eyes from my own circumstances and to contend on behalf of those around me. The outages did not stop. But my obsession with my “flesh wound” did. Through it all, I learned to stand and I learned to love.