“I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12
Dear Ones:
When Adam and Even sinned against God, instead of continuing to bask in the warm sunshine of the Father’s love, they retreated into the shadows. Adam said it so clearly: “I heard Thy voice…I was afraid…I hid myself.” (Gen. 3:10) Adam and Eve sought to hide themselves from the light. In essence, they very naturally chose darkness as opposed to light. What are the characteristics of that darkness? And what consequences does the darkness have on the lives of men?
In the desert places of the earth, there is generally the phenomenon where the days are extremely hot, because of the unhindered, and unobstructed hammering of the sun’s rays. At evening, when the sun’s rays wane and diminish, the temperature begins to drop, sometimes dramatically. Though this illustration is imperfect, it does show us how “light,” in this case, sunlight, affects the object it shines upon. Also revealed to us is the result of the lack of sunshine. Spiritual “darkness” is the state where the warmth of the Life of Christ is not received by the unbelieving soul. The consequences of such a condition is solitude and coldness. There is the retreat into oneself, or some thing, in order to find security and satisfaction, or to hide from the elements which can inflict pain. When Christ comes, He comes to bring light, warmth, …to bring the lost soul out into the sunshine of His love and care.
In one of David’s psalms, he prays: “Lift Thou up the light of Thy countenance upon us.” (4:6) In another Psalm, we find written: “…they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of Thy countenance.” (89:15) On the one hand there is prayer made for God to SHINE upon us. On the other, we are instructed to walk in the light of God’s countenance. We find the same concepts in the New Testament. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “…Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.” (5:14) John, the Apostle, wrote: “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” (1 Jn. 1:7) One of the greatest aspects of our calling to Christ, and to God, is that of being called to live in the light of Christ’s countenance.
Dear Father, three times the Psalmist (Ps. 80) prays: “Turn us again, O God, and CAUSE THY FACE TO SHINE, and we shall be saved.” Give us to come out of the coldness and solitude of the shadows, into the warmth of Thy light. It is only in Thy light that we see light. Make us to know the blessedness of Thy gracious favor and blessing this day, even the Life of Thy dear Son. We thank Thee in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad