"God has done an incredible thing by introducing us to the Light! We
will never be able to fully comprehend His great love for us, nor how
that love and that Light are everlasting. EVERLASTING!
Our finite minds simply cannot begin to understand the concept of
forever. If we have a hard time falling asleep and staying asleep one
night, we tend to say that the night lasted 'forever'. We typically say
that about anything that is, for the moment, unpleasant. Our concept
of 'forever' is, at least in part, limited to the negative.
Yet we see today in the Scripture reading that Jesus has been given
to us as an everlasting Light. There is nothing negative at all that
can be attached to that! For every single circumstance that God allows
into our lives, for every decision we must make, for every question to
which we need an answer, for every problem we have, Jesus is our Light.
He illumines our pathway if our eyes are intending to see His light.
And He will light the way for us forever!
When we take that thought to its most basic level, we can come to no other conclusion but this: Jesus is the ONLY light we will ever need, both now and forever!
We know that this is true, so why do we seek so many other means of
'light' when life becomes complicated and difficult? Why do we rely on
our own wisdom when pressing decisions must be made? When we need
answers to our questions, why do we hesitate to pray and seek the Word?
By looking to ourselves, or anything other than God, we are telling
Him, 'I know You are all-powerful, all-knowing, and ever-present, but I
just don't trust You with this particular issue.' Whether we like it or
not, this is unbelief. The fact that we so often rely on everything but God might be the very reason verse 20b in today's reading references 'your days of mourning'.
We walk out of the light of Jesus and back into darkness when we blow
out His Light that is at work within us. We snuff out His Light by
taking matters into our own hands, trusting our lives, our decisions,
and the answers to our our own understanding. When we do this, our
peace is disturbed, and it begins to erode very quickly. The light in
our life diminishes and becomes dark and fearful as 'the sun goes down'
in those moments of self-reliance and self-sufficiency.
Are you beginning to see why it is so critical that the Light of our
life also be the LORD of our life? God will continue to work throughout
our lives for the purpose of bringing us to a place where He is the
LORD of everything, and who can and will continually and forever light
the pathway for our journey. Every time we choose to walk in the light
of our own making, instead of the the Light of His Son, His light dims
and our world darkens.
God is working to bring us to the place of recognizing that we have
no need for any other light but His! Eternal light is not merely
reserved for Heaven where there will be no more day or night, no need
for sun or moon, because it will be illuminated by the Son. Eternal Light is also for the here and now, as well.
The prophets of old foretold the coming Light of Messiah, and His
Light resides inside of us in ways they could have never understood.
How many more days shall we walk in the light of our own self rule,
which is no light at all? Jesus is the Light of the world! Having
believed in Him, shall we now continue to intentionally snuff the Light
out?
Where, in your life, are you currently experiencing darkness?
Surrender the self-will, the self-reliance, or the self-sufficiency
as is personally necessary. Ask the Light to return to that area (or
those areas) where you have allowed darkness to take over. Then keep
in mind these words: "Arise! Shine! For your Light has come! And the
glory of the Lord has risen upon you!" (Isaiah 60:1) You will
experience the darkness becoming as the noon!
