Advent Art Devotional 2020 – Jehovah ‘Ori

A little over a year ago, Psalm 27 became an anthem to my family. My niece, just a few days short of 22, was returning from college when she collided and then slipped under the massive wheels of a truck.

Her road to recovery has not been easy. She wears the scars with much discomfort. To many, these scars tell a dreadful story. But to us – her family who prayed over her when she was in a coma – these scars are the manifestation of Psalm 27.

Jehovah Ori, The LORD, my light, became apparent and meaningful in those moments where the light represented protection, providence, and direction as it did for the Psalmist. This truth is reiterated throughout the New Testament as well: 1 John 1:5 proclaims “God is light; in him there is no darkness,” mimicking Genesis 1:1-5, where light literally and metaphorically dispels darkness, creating a hedge of protection.

James 1:17 writes, “ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the

heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

In John 8:12 Jesus declares, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

As we enter another Advent season, it is not lost on me that this light is living and organic and wildly infectious. Jesus commissions us in Matthew 5:14-16, saying, “You are the

light of the world…let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

As you meditate on Jehovah Ori, the world might often seem broken, tumultuous, and fragmented. But may your meditation enable you to see Jehovah Ori, and may your

heart join the psalmist in saying, “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” – Psalm 27:13

– Lydia Durairaj