DARKNESS AND LIGHT
09th Dec 2015
“For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness, made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6) I love all the lights that we place in our homes in the time leading to Christmas. The Advent lights go in the window and the Herrnhut star hangs outside the front door, the Christmas candelabra hangs over the table and candles are constantly being lit.
However, in recent weeks I have been struck by how much darkness surrounds our world. There are the major acts of terror and the tragedy of the migrants which affect us all, but the darkness that affects people at a personal level is just as real. We buy a newspaper on Saturday’s and over recent weeks so many of the personal stories have been of sadness and depression. We also have been getting news of some very close friends going through really tough times.
So when we read the prophecy of Isaiah, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned” it is easy to see this only as referring to the coming of Jesus. I have been seeing it in a wider context. Whatever is going on in our lives, when we bring our personal darkness to Jesus, He will shine a light on it that will make all the difference.
Isaiah 61:2-3 says “He comforts all who grieve, and provides the oil of gladness instead of mourning.” He shines his light, he pours in his oil and he brings supernatural comfort. Later on it says, “He bestows a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” Discouragement, broken dreams and things that just went wrong can lead to great despair, but His light will transform our situation so that our hearts are filled with praise and our feet feel like dancing.
Do you feel a darkness trying to overwhelm you? - let His light transform your situation!
by Charles Sibthorpe
