IT’S DARK, WHERE IS THE LIGHT?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not
overcome it. There was a man sent from God whose name
was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that
light, so that through Him all might believe. He himself was
not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true
light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.
(John 1:4-9)

MEDITATION:
Have you ever thought about how light can overcome darkness,
but darkness can never overcome light? Go into a totally dark
room and turn on a flashlight – wherever the light is shining,
the darkness is gone. But can you make the reverse happen?
Can you go into a room that is lit and turn on anything that
will darken any of the light? Of course not!

It is important for us to know that light is more powerful than
darkness. Since Jesus is described as light, it means He is more
powerful than a world of darkness. That is important to those
who believe in Jesus. Why? Because when we are overwhelmed
by the problems a dark world presents to us, we know that we
have a powerful Light to encourage and guide us.

The world continues to stumble in darkness from one crisis to another.
The closer we get to the return of Jesus, the more darkness we will see
in the world. We have seen inflation, overpopulation, hunger, corrupt
governments, increase in crime, killings for no other reason than just
to kill, disrespect for authority, loss of interest in church, destruction
of God’s creations (even before birth), wars (and rumors of wars), etc.
This is only a short list, but the list could go on and on.

We can see the darkness of the world is spreading and overtaking
some of our loved ones, causing them to make bad choices and live
a life that is headed in the wrong direction. The world’s darkness
can overwhelm us as well, if we fail to rely on our source of light,
which is Jesus.

However, when we give our life to Him and follow Him, He can bring
clarity to our confusion, He can help us cope with the darkness we are
going through, and He can give us peace and joy even in the midst of
our darkest valleys.

It all depends on how much we are willing to surrender to Him. Many
of us like to be in control, and it causes us to be reluctant to give Him
full control of our lives, including our dark times. It’s a natural reaction
to try to remain in control since most of us are generally impatient, and
have an intense desire to see immediate results.

However, the Lord is not restricted by our timetables. He may work
at a slower pace so that we (or someone else), will have an opportunity
to learn the things He wants us (or them) to understand. It may be a
time of growth in our faith that He wants us to experience.

Some of us have the mentality that we will not burden the Lord
with the darkness we are experiencing. But what does He tell us?
    “Come to me, all you who are weary
      and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
      (Matthew 11:28)

He is the Light; we are not. If we expect to see the darkness
disappearing, then we must go to ‘The light that shines in
the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it’.

The Lord wants our dependence and not our independence.
That shows the depth of His love for us. Not only did He go
to the cross for us, but He also wants to give us relief when
we are burdened. He wants (and is able) to provide His light
to overcome whatever darkness we are experiencing.

Darkness can cause us to feel lonely at times. It can feel like
the darkness of the world is crushing us, and yet others seem
to be unconcerned. We need to remember that our feelings
about the concerns of others toward us, are based solely on
our own expectations.

We need to understand that each person has their own way of
responding when they see others in a period of darkness. Some
are prayer warriors, and although we might not experience
them communicating directly with us, they are quietly and
diligently praying for us. We should never underestimate or
make assumptions about the efforts of others on our behalf.

And as far as our loneliness, what has Jesus promised us?
He has promised to be with us even when the tasks He has
given us might seem daunting.
    “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
      baptizing them in the name of the Father and
      of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching
      them to obey everything I have commanded you.
      And surely I am with you always, to the very end
      of the age.”
      (Matthew 28:19-20)

There we have it – Jesus says,
    “…surely I am with you always”.
We are never alone because He has promised to be with us whether
it is a dark time in our life, or a bright time of peace and joy. There
is something interesting Jesus says before giving us His promise. He
tells us that we should have concerns for others, and especially those
who are lost.

He tells us that we should
    ‘teach them to obey everything I have commanded you’.
Does that mean that we all need to become teachers and preachers.
Not necessarily, but it does mean that we can teach others to obey
His commands by showing them that our faith is real, and we are
serious about obeying His commands ourselves.

The world will continue to throw darkness at us in many ways,
but we who believe, know the Light that ‘shines in the darkness’.
Our ‘Light’ loves us so much that He not only went to the cross
for us, but He also asks us to bring our burdens to Him. And when
we do, He promises to always be with us. He is our Savior, our
Friend, our Encourager, our Guide, and He is awesome!

ACTION:
Is the darkness of the world overwhelming you? Are you fighting
depression as you see the spreading of the world’s darkness? Are
you overwhelmed by the darkness invading your own life? Do you
attempt to overcome the darkness with your own light, or do you
turn to the
    ‘Light of the world’ (which the darkness cannot overcome)?

None of us enjoy the dark times we encounter,
but Paul gives us hope when he says,
    “And we know that in all things God works for
      the good of those who love him, who have been
      called according to his purpose.”
      (Romans 8:28)

If we love the Lord, then we trust Him to be our Light. We know
that He will use the darkness for our benefit (if we ask Him and
let Him). He can create a light to burn in our heart and mind that
we never had before. When His light shines in us, we discover that
everything is not about us, but it is about Him and His purpose.

If you are a ‘fix it’ person like I tend to be, then it can be a struggle to
pray and patiently wait upon the Lord. For me personally, it means I
have to make a conscious effort to give Him full control and wait; and
to accept that His timing is perfect even though it may be different than
mine. Do I do that all the time? Being honest, I can’t say that I do, but I
can say that I want to (and try to) give Him full control.

I have learned over the years to follow the advice of Paul,
    “always giving thanks to God the Father
      for everything, in the name of our Lord
      Jesus Christ.”
      (Ephesians 5:20)

It seemed crazy to give thanks to God for the darkness around me,
until He taught me that when I thank Him, it doesn’t mean I am
embracing the bad times, it means I am acknowledging that He
is in control; it means that I believe He will bring something good
out of the difficult situations I am experiencing; it means I have
faith in His abilities and His promises.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son to be
the Light of the world. You know how overwhelming and
devastating the darkness can be for me, and how it can
cause me to develop feelings of hopelessness. Thank You
for understanding the impact of the darkness and providing
me with hope. It is easy for me to be thankful for the things
that are good and brighten up my life, but difficult to give
thanks for the unpleasant things I experience. Help me to
follow Your biblical instructions, even when they may seem
confusing. Forgive me for the times I try to combat the
darkness with my own inadequate light. Remind me to bring
my burdens to You so that You can overcome the darkness
I am experiencing. When darkness surrounds me, teach me
to have an attitude of learning, instead of allowing my natural
reactions and emotions to seize control of my thoughts. Jesus,
thank You for showing Your love for me by going to the cross
for my sins. Thank You for Your promises to be with me and to
take my burdens from me. Teach me to teach others about You
through my obedience to Your commands.”

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