Light in the Darkness

Day Eleven

Light in the Darkness            

Isaiah 9:2-7

When God first acted, in creation, He made light. It was light that penetrated the darkness of chaos. Light gave warmth to the earth; it encouraged life. And when human beings came onto the scene, they did not need to stumble around, losing their footing and scraping their shins. God made the sun to shine by day and the lesser moon by night. In creation, God gave order out of nothing. His was the precious gift of light.

Yet, very soon, human beings discovered that they preferred darkness. When sin entered our world so did our need to hide. Fallen humanity found that the shadows were easier than the light. The light shows up too much. How much easier to live in the darkness and to escape from the ugliness of sin.  According to the Bible, if you do not know God, you dwell in the darkness. If light represents knowledge, darkness represents ignorance. A person may be superbly educated, well-read, one whose opinions are sought after by many and shared by most; but if that person does not know God then he or she is living in the darkness. We may claim to be enlightened, but without God our minds remain in the shadows. To be fair, many modern people are well aware of this. They may not accept the offered solution, but they understand the condition. They call it “despair.” The poet A.E. Housman expressed, for many people, the feeling of wandering, aimlessly, in the dark.
The sun is up and up must I,                                                                                                                     To wash and dress and eat and drink                                                                                                      And look at things and talk and think and work…                                                                                  And God knows why.

Actually, God does know why. He gives purpose to our days, even when we fail to acknowledge Him. It was never God’s intention that we should remain in the darkness. Through the witness of the Law and the Prophets, and through creation’s mute testimony, God shone light into our darkness. In addition, in even the most hard-bitten non-believer, God still guided through the conscience. But it was not enough. We ignored the Law and the Prophets, closed our eyes to creation, and warped our consciences by abusing them so badly. Even though the darkness had never completely overwhelmed the light, millions still dwelt in the shadows.

Then came Jesus. His had been the light at the dawn of creation; His had been the light of nature that had illuminated every conscience. But, in Bethlehem, the Light came to live among us. It shone most brightly in the darkness. It flared, for a time, drawing sinners like moths to a flame, but not for their destruction. On Calvary, it guttered and flickered, as though it was about to die. Cruel men thought that they had extinguished it. But His was the Light that would not be put out. In every believing heart the Light of Christ endures. And so it shall, until every shadow is banished and all of the hidden things are made plain.

Lord Jesus, Light of the World, I seek You now. I confess that I have hidden, for too long, in darkened corners, afraid and ashamed. But now, knowing myself to be forgiven and made new, I walk into the Light conscious of my sin, but clinging to Your mercy. May all my days be spent basking in Your glory. Amen.