The lady with the lamp - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2026

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness.
John 1:4–5

The lady with the lamp
Florence Nightingale (1820–1910) knew that God had called her to His service. However, it wasn’t clear to her for a long time what that service would look like, as work had no place in the life of fine ladies in 19th-century England. But there was the contaminated and deadly atmosphere of British army hospitals – and this is where Florence felt called.

In time, she found herself in the misery of the Crimean War (1853–1856). There she became known as the “Lady with the Lamp”, as she visited sick and wounded soldiers at night with a lamp in her hand, providing care to nearly 2,000 dying men. She especially cared for the ordinary soldiers, who the public wasn’t interested in and whose own officers considered them as scum of the earth. She ensured that the soldiers learned to read and write and she sent their wages home to their families instead of the soldiers drinking them away. She fought for their rights and created educational and employment opportunities.

Florence Nightingale could shine and bring light; but it is Christ Himself who is “the Light”. He shines into the darkness and brings every person into the light of God. Those who ignore the dirt and sins of their lives are blind and will end up in eternal darkness. But those who recognise their own blindness, acknowledging the filth and darkness of their lives, will encounter the One who said: “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12). What a change; what a transformation!

Today’s reading: 2 Chronicles 6:22-42 · 2 Timothy 3:1-9