Light

The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined. – Isaiah 9v2

The image of light and darkness is one that permeates scripture. In fact it is there form the very start. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty and darkness was over the face of the earth.

So there we have it – dark, empty, and shapeless. That would not be much use to anyone if it stayed that way. But the Spirit of God was hovering over that darkness. So God spoke four little words and everything changed ‘Let there be light!’ and lo and behold there was light!

It is interesting that the book of John starts the same way ‘In the beginning’ but it lets us in on a spiritual aspect when it continues, ‘was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.’ Just a couple of verse later, just like in Genesis, light comes into the picture – ‘and the Light was shining in the darkness, but the darkness did not understand it.’

We could go on for pages about the image of light and darkness in the word of God. After all God is Light and there is no darkness at all in Him. He brings light but man does not always understand the light when he sees it.

Sadly it is a willing blindness sometimes. John speaks of men whose deeds are evil loving darkness more than light. Because they love evil they reject the light.

But spiritual darkness is destructive. We can’t find our way. The darkness is so deceptive that people who walk in darkness don’t even know what is tripping them up.

But God is Light and He sent His light into the world in Jesus Christ. Acts also speak of people walking in darkness. Men don’t naturally understand that darkness to he send us to ‘open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.' (Acts 26v18)

God sends His light. Those of us who are His children have it. Are we showing that light by our lives, our words, and our deeds? Or are we still acting like we live in darkness?