We have blackout curtains in our bedroom to keep the sun from shining through. We like sleep. When I wake up in the middle of the night or early in the morning, my feet touch the floor and I have to stumble around to find something to support me, lest I trip and fall over the unseen corner of the bed or the bedside table. Depending on whether or not I put my shoes in the closet or left them at the foot of my bed, or whether I left a laundry basket there instead, it might make for a good laugh…if only you could see, too.
I think in some seasons this is how we wander through life…in the dark, gripping for something, anything to support us, to keep us from stumbling. We find ourselves latching on to people, places, things to find a sense of security.
I find that in the midst of a hurried world, I miss it. I miss the glimpses of glory. I miss the glints of grace that pour out in everyday interactions. I miss the guiding light that God has offered me and exchange it for something seemingly more reliable. Call it insecurity, call it naivete…it might more likely be that I prefer the “safety” of the dark than the risk of the light.
But to follow that line of thought would be to follow a lie. Yet, it is a lie we unintentionally and unknowingly welcome.
As I dig into it, I’ve come to see God’s light as helpful in three ways:
His light shows us who He is.
“Yours is the day, yours also the night; you have established the heavenly lights and the sun.”
Psalm 74:16
By the light of His Word, we see that God is the holy One by which we gauge all that is good, bad, right, or wrong. We see an eternal Father, who loves us while we are still sinners. From this Father, we are given a Son; the Savior, the Light of the World. By this light we see His justice, His righteousness, His holiness. In following this Light, we are guided out of darkness. We don’t have to search around for temporary safety. We have the true Light.
His light shows us how we are (and are not) like Him.
“You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.”
Psalm 90:8
Our secrets are out in the open before Him. Yet because of the Son, He hides not His face. A lamp unto our feet, He lights our paths as we journey homeward. This pure Light reveals what is hidden. Hidden anger, hidden hurt, hidden unbelief, hidden sin. By the light of His Word we see how we are aligned or misaligned. In Scripture, we see how loving and just our God is, and when we do, we must consider how loving and just we are. We see a set-apart Son, and realize that before we were born, we too were set apart. (Galatians 1:15) We see that, though our iniquities are before Him and our days numbered, His light is not kept from us. His light reveals Himself to us, and we respond with fearful service, rejoice with trembling. (Psalm 2:11)
His light shows us that He is active, present, and able.
“For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.”
Psalm 38:9
When one wakes up and becomes alive to the light that Christ shines, it becomes very difficult to ignore. Because not only does the Light-Maker’s light shine upon us for provision and revelation of our humanity, it shines upon us so that we may see more clearly God’s power, how He moves, and how He has everything in His hands. If the end-goal of everything is that He be glorified, pretending to unsee glorious light will be impossible.
In the dark, we look for the light. We watch for how the Light of the World extends into our day-to-day. When one is trapped in a cave (or an unlit bedroom, for that matter) in order to move, we seek to find light for safety. We must guard against the lie that the darkness is safe and cling tightly to the fountain of life.
By the Word and in His light, we do see light. Every day we have an opportunity to shift our perspective, to gaze upon the Father, Son, Spirit. We stand and are amazed by all of the things this Light reveals to us and reject the invitation to darkness. It would do us well to be aware of our usual exchanges for safety because to battle the darkness — to actively walk in and follow the Light — we must choose it above all else.
I’m stretching my writing skills and participating in the HopeWriters New Years Writing Challenge. Today’s prompt is Light. Yesterday’s was New.