“Red Light, Green Light”

When we were kids there was a popular game we played called, “Red light, Green light.” The object was trying to get as close to the person who was “it” as you could when their back was turned. This was the “Green light” which allowed you to move forward. “It” would then turn around at random intervals calling out “Red light” and you had to freeze in place! If you were caught moving during “Red light” you had to go back to the starting line.

We changed the rules of the game a little though, so we could play it in the dark. Playing in the dark was much more exciting and fun! The room had to be pitch black, the person who was “it” had a flashlight, and the players all started at one end of the room. When the lights were turned off you were free to move forward (“Green light”), moving quietly toward “it” while trying to tag him. “It” could also move around in the dark, turning the flashlight on at any moment and revealing where everyone was. The sudden flood of light would expel a player from the game if the “beam” happened to fall on any part of their body. The game continued until everyone was “tagged” out by the flashlight beam, or until someone tagged “it” and took his place. We loved playing “Red light, Green light!”

That simple little game with the flashlight illustrates, in a small way, the function of “praise” in the life of someone who is following Jesus. We live in a dark world of selfish sin, where the “enemy of our souls” is constantly moving about trying to put us out of commission with sickness, discouragement and temptation. Darkness is the cloak he wears as he works behind the circumstances of our life, attempting to keep us worried and anxious about the next problem or issue that will assault us. Praise is like that small flashlight which, when turned on, illuminates everything clearly and puts all of our experiences in proper perspective.

When we praise the Lord, Satan can’t sneak up on us. When we praise the Lord, we step into the light of God’s presence where everything makes sense. When we praise the Lord, we operate in a light that points to the One Whom we love and declares His salvation to people still in darkness. When we praise the Lord, Jesus draws close to us and we find that we win as conquerors over all the works of darkness.

Praise the Lord!

How exciting to be His people,

Pastor David Vanderpool