31 Days: Day 28- Thanking God He Is Light
As a child, in the middle of the night, the distance from my bedroom to my parent’s room seemed impossibly far. The dark hall threatened menacingly and I needed to feel extra sick to dare the trek. During the day, however, I felt no fear at all. The hall shrunk to its actual twelve foot length.
Actually, it wasn’t the hall that scared me. It was the dark.
Darkness has always been frightening. It conceals evil, allowing it to grow. It hides sin, encouraging it to fester and hurt others. Darkness is shame and guilt and regret.
But God is LIGHT! He accomplishes the opposite of dark. He reveals evil. He exposes sin. He brings the Light of cleanliness and freedom and comfort.
The Light of God means NOTHING is hidden.
I am so grateful that whatever looms dark and forboding in my life will shrink back as the light of Jesus fills my heart.
For it is you who light my lamp; the LORD my God lightens my darkness. (Psalm 18:28 ESV)
For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light. (Psalm 36:9 ESV)
In the present I experience God as my light in a real, but more figurative way, But, He physically acted as a light for His people when they wandered through the wilderness. At night when they felt lost and terrified in the expansive, dangerous desert, the Lord remained with them as a “pillar of fire to give them light.” The Israelites never needed to feel alone.
And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. (Exodus 13:21 ESV)
When Nehemiah recounts the great acts of God, he speaks of God acting as a Pillar of Fire lighting the darkness as proof that He never forsook His people. He always faithfully led them with His Light. I believe that at least one reason He physically demonstrated Himself so dramatically was so we could UNDERSTAND how committed He is to light our way still today.
you in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud to lead them in the way did not depart from them by day, nor the pillar of fire by night to light for them the way by which they should go. (Nehemiah 9:19 ESV)
How bright is our God? Bright enough to turn blindness to light! So, no matter how confused I might be or how difficult my path, my Light will guide me.
And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them. (Isaiah 42:16 ESV)
Life regularly takes a hard right turn into gloominess. I stumble around, finding no solution or way out. But then my Lord grabs me, sets my mind upright, and brings me out from darkness into His Light.
Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall I will rise; Though I dwell in darkness, the LORD is a light for me. … He will bring me out to the light, And I will see His righteousness. (Micah 7:8-9b NASB)
When Jesus put on flesh and came to earth He brought the eternal Light with Him, just as it had been prophesied in Isaiah. If the people had eyes to see, they could view it in Him.
the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned." (Matthew 4:16 ESV)
The sunrise of the light of Jesus displays God’s tender mercy. He knew we all required help so He sent His Light to guide us onto His path.
because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." (Luke 1:78-79 ESV)
Jesus IS the light of the world! Anyone who doubts that can just read His exact words. Following Him brings the Light into my life to drive back the darkness and show me the way!
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12 ESV)
I have physical access to His Light. Just as the Israelites could see the way by following the Pillar of Fire, the Bible points the way and gives understanding. I can see the way to go by diving into His Word.
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path… The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. (Psalm 119:105, 130 ESV)
Someday the Light will shine continually. We won’t have to just sense God’s light in our soul, we will experience it. In the new earth, the Light of the Lord will fill every nook and cranny. I get giddy just thinking about it.
The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. (Isaiah 60:19 ESV)
Until that glorious day, I can still walk daily in the gift of His light. My Savior’s face brings shining light. So as I live life with Him, looking into His face, I experience Light. I am so grateful for His brilliance.
the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; (Numbers 6:25 ESV)
Prayer
Thank You, my Light. You drive away every fear and illuminate every path.
Your light reveals every shameful item of my past and then grants freedom. Thank You that while the enemy wants to burden me with guilt and shame, You want to shine the light of Yourself into all the dark corners of my heart. Nothing is hidden from Your light, and because of that, I can live in freedom!
I sometimes wish You would be an actual Pillar of Fire again, because life gets confusing. But, I trust You will always point me in the right direction. Thank You that Your Light means I need never be lost. You light the path, step by step. Please help me trust You when You only reveal one step at a time. Help me stay right where Your Light shines and not deviate one bit to the right or to the left.
Thank You for bringing Your light to heal my blindness so that the rough places seem like level ground. You are the only One who could take me through my difficulties in ways that still brings glory to You.
Thank You for the Light of Your Word. Because it contains instruction, direction, rebuke, and encouragement, I need never feel lost or confused. I DO have to obey what it says to take advantage of its Light, so I ask You to please help me do that. Thank You for the gift the Word brings.
I am most grateful for You coming as my Savior and BEING the Light of the World, for all to see. Forgive me for every time I fail to see and understand You as my Light. I am utterly lost without You. Thank You, Jesus the Light, for setting evil on retreat and placing notice on the enemy: the days of darkness will come to an end!
Oh Lord of Light, how I look forward to the day I will bask in Your brightness every moment. When Your brilliance will be manifest all around me. When darkness will find nowhere to lurk. I can’t wait. But until that day, please help me stay in the place of You and Your light.
No. Other. Thing. provides me direction and illumination but You. Thank You for being my Light.
Amen
Oh Friend- one day we will live every moment in the physical reality of God’s Light! Until then we have our relationship with Him, the Word, and His continual presence to light our way.
We are never alone. We never have to fear what is at the end of the dark hallway. We never need stumble in the gloom. Let’s walk today in the Light and express gratitude for that Light. It is a gift.
The LORD is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us. (Psalm 118:27a ESV)