Light in the Darkness

BY Abby Flynn

Section 1: The Light of the World

Have you had a conversation with a four-year-old recently? If not, I would encourage you to talk to one. Their imaginations are wild, and talking to them is a true experience. My son is four right now, and I’m always impressed by the things his mind comes up with. But he also deals with some very four-year-old-type things, like being afraid of the dark. He can’t sleep without a nightlight. He wants to see what’s around him at all times. Sometimes one of his toys casts a weird shadow on the wall, and we have to turn on a light so he knows it’s not a scary monster.  When the light comes on, everything feels okay again. Because even though he’s still in the same room, he’s able to have a different perspective. 

Same room, different light. 

Like my four-year-old’s bedroom, our world is full of darkness on its own. As believers in Christ, we sit in the in-between after Jesus came to earth as the Light of the World and when He will return. It can be easy to wonder, How bad is He going to let things get down here? I don’t know about you, but there are some days where it starts to feel like the darkness is winning.

But today’s scriptures remind us that our God is a God of justice and that the darkness is already underneath His feet (Psalm 18:9). God’s presence in and of itself is radiance, and everything in the world and creation is under His control (Psalm 18:12,15) 

Yes, our world is full of sin, brokenness, and despair. And we as believers are waiting for Jesus to return and set things fully right, forever. But in the meantime, He has given us His Spirit. And when we accept Jesus as our Savior, we become children of light (Ephesians 5:8) That means we’re able to share His light with the people around us. 

So whatever burdens, or heaviness we carry today, He is right there with us. When the scary shadows of our mistakes or the darkness of our situations feel like too much, we don’t have to face them on our own. We have a Light in the darkness, and His name is Jesus.