LET THERE BE LIGHT
“Arise, Shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon
thee” (Isaiah 60:1)
A recent huge storm left my neighborhood without electricity. My house was dark
and cold for three days. I was ready to seek shelter somewhere else as I could not bear
another night groping in the dark and sleeping in a cold bed. However, when I arrived
home that evening, there were lights. I was beyond ecstatic. I repeatedly thanked God and
danced a few jigs. Suddenly the house looked much brighter than it ever had, the rooms
appeared larger than before and it dawned on me how much we take these utilities for
granted and even more, how spiritually dark and cold we are without Christ’s perpetual
light shining in, through and around us.
God is a God of light and in Him there is no darkness at all. He is our light and
salvation (Psalm 27:1) and He set the tone for His light to illuminate the world and our
hearts when on the third day of creation, He declared, “Let there be light.” And there was
light (Genesis 1:3). “And God saw the light that it was good and divided the light from
the darkness” (Genesis 1:4).
Darkness is foreboding, heavy, fearful, unproductive and spiritually reserved for
those who are living without God. God warns us to have no association with the
unfruitful works of darkness but rather reprove them (Ephesians 5:11). We are to seek
after the light for God knows what is in the darkness and the light dwells with Him
(Daniel 2:22). His Word comes to light and so does His judgment (Zephaniah 3:5).
Scripture highlights the significance of God’s eternal light which is the brightness
and purity of His character that is able to bring dead souls from the pit to be enlightened
with the light of the living (Job 33:30), and to light the path for those who walk with
Him. God has sovereignly done this by calling His chosen ones from darkness of sin into
His marvelous light of salvation (1 Peter 2:9) and reminding us that we are children of
light and of the day, and not of night or of darkness (2 Thessalonians 5:5). The people
who once sat in darkness have seen a great light which is Jesus Christ, the Light of the
world. Those who follow Him shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life
(Matthew 4:16; John 8:12). He causes the light of our witness to shine with the pure oil of
the Gospel burning always within us (Exodus 27:20), so that we represent Him on earth
as the light of the world with a testimony ablaze for all to see and give glory to God
(Matthew 5:14-16).
We are assured that God will light our candle and enlighten our darkness (Psalm
18:28) and only in God’s light shall we see light (Psalm 36:9) and it is His light and truth
that will bring us unto His Holy hill (Psalm 43:3). Because the entrance of His Words
gives light and His Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105,
130), we should deeply aspire to walk in the light of the Lord (Isaiah 2:5).
Amos 5:20 warns that the day of the Lord which is judgment day will be darkness
and not light for the unsaved. It will be very dark with no brightness in it. That means it
will be void of salvation and full of God’s wrath. So if there be any who is walking in
darkness, let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon His God (Isaiah 50:10). For
the path of the just is as a shining light (Proverbs 4:18) and God will be their everlasting
light even to eternity. (Revelation 22:5).
“Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in
the light of Thy countenance” (Psalm 89:15).
Be Blessed Today in that Heavenly Light.