Dabbling in Darkness
“If we claim to have fellowship with Him, yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.”
1 John 1:6
Kids love water, don’t they? Whether it’s a pool, a creek, or a puddle, there’s an attraction to get closer to just “look at it”. We warn them not to get wet and we might hear the response, “Can’t I just put my feet in?” And we all know, if the feet get wet, the rest of the child gets wet eventually. They can’t help it, their “whole self” ends up soaked. And when they come back, soaking wet, we ask them, “what happened, why didn’t you obey?” The responses will likely include things like “I don’t know”, “It was an accident”, “I didn’t mean to get wet, it just happened” and the list goes on.
Sin is like that too. There’s an attraction to just get a bit closer, but soon, we’re dipping our feet in and before we know it, we’re immersed. We’re soaked in it. We can tell others that we’re not dabbling in sin, but when we stand there, soaking wet with the evidence, our words hold no weight.
1 John 1:6 “If we claim to have fellowship with Him, yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.”
That word, “in”, is important to note. It’s the Greek word, “en” and “denotes a fixed position in place, time or state.” Think about it. If we’re ‘in’ we have a fixed position(1). There is no halfway or just a little. Either we’re in or we’re out. There is no in between. It’s a powerful word.
When we walk in sin, even if we’re just “dipping our feet in”, we are in. We’re immersed. We’re sinning. We can’t dabble in darkness and not be impacted by it. 1 John tells us that if we claim to have fellowship with God, but walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. Our location says a whole lot about our heart condition and our commitments. Our talk, talks and our walk talks. But our walk speaks much more loudly than our talk when it comes to giving evidence of what our heart loves. We can say we love Jesus, but if our actions demonstrate otherwise, which do you think people will believe more? Are we making choices and living in such a way that gives evidence that we love Jesus…or that we love something or someone else more?
1 John 1:1-6 uses the word “proclaim” several times. That word means to give a report, which indicates one has seen evidence of something, it’s an affirmation. Yet, 1 John 1:6 uses the word “claim”...there is no pro. That’s the thing with sin. If we’re involved in it, participating in it, we can claim we walk in truth, but there is no evidence. Our lives are proclaiming otherwise and giving evidence of fellowship with darkness. How we live matters and sin impacts how we live.
This world is dark and temptation is strong. If we think we can resist on our own, we’re deceived. We cannot just ‘say’ we’re following the Lord, we have to demonstrate it, our lives need to give evidence, otherwise our words are empty and our testimony is worthless. Our sons and daughters need us to walk with the Lord and give evidence that He is our focus, our passion, our God. They need to see their parents, their elders, their role models modeling what it truly means to follow Jesus. We need to proclaim with our lives that Jesus is our King.
We need to pray for spiritual protection for our sons and daughters every day. Satan wants nothing more than to keep them from following Christ. He wants to convince them that compromising with sin is okay, especially if it’s “just a little bit”. He lures them to just dip their feet in the water of darkness, just their feet and nothing more. But we all know what happens. If you’re “in”, you can’t be in two places at the same time. When we dabble in darkness, we take our eyes off of Jesus and allow our heart and mind to put something else on the throne and then we’re walking in darkness.
Today, and every day, let’s pray that our sons and daughters will be IN Christ- that at all times, in all ways, in all places, they are found in Him and that darkness has no place in their lives. Pray that their choices in friends, in entertainment, in places they go, things they take part in and what they read and listen to all support their pursuit of Jesus and their lives give evidence of living and walking in His light.
Pray without ceasing.
G1722 - en - Strong's Greek Lexicon (kjv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1722/kjv/tr/0-1/
When God Says, “Wait”: The Practice of Waiting Well
Waiting is hard and few people like it, but, whether or not we like it, it truly is a part of life. We wait for the birth of our children. Then, we wait for the milestones- sleeping through the night, crawling, walking, the first day of school, the list goes on.
As they grow and learn more about the Lord, we wait and pray our sons and daughters will embrace a relationship with Jesus…and sometimes we wait for their return to Him, as well.
Waiting. Always waiting.
We ‘endure’ it, but all the while we wonder when God will move? We ask why doesn’t He move now? We have an urgency to get solutions, resolution and rescue-How long will it be…doesn’t He see?!
Oh friends, He sees and He hears, but God is not restricted by time. He is not constrained by space. He has the ability to see our entire experience from start to finish- and He has mastery over it all. Sometimes His waiting is a pause for us to see, to acknowledge, to surrender to Him. God is not impatient, nor is he running behind. God calls us to wait, not because He is slow or unkind, but because He sees the whole picture. He has a plan.
But our limited minds and hearts are so fragile and futile that when we are called to wait, we begin to question His goodness, we question His timing and even His ability or desire to fix and redeem our loved one or the situation that impacts them. What we need to do is remind ourselves that God’s timing is so unlike our own.
2 Peter 3:8-9 “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
The Israelites saw God part the Red Sea so they could walk through on dry ground. They witnessed God’s perfect timing and miraculous rescue from being cornered with no visible way of escape from an army that would surely destroy them. They SAW God part the sea. They walked on DRY GROUND through it. Yet, just days later, they turned and made an idol to worship because too quickly they forgot the miraculous hand of God and His saving power. They chose to ignore His deity and Sovereignty and exchanged their glorious God for a bull made by their own hands, Psalm 106:20. The foolishness of man is great. The shortsightedness is chronic. The selfishness is terminal.
Waiting. It’s a holding pattern that requires trust and patience. It’s not what we would choose, yet if we choose to wait for Him, we submit to His will for us and learn more about our God and His heart for us. Isn’t that best?
The word ‘wait’ in Hebrew isthe word Qavah which means to wait for, to twist and bind, to expect, often with hope (1). Think about the process of spinning wool or braiding rope. It’s a constant twisting together, but that twisting brings a binding and creates a strength that otherwise would not be present. The twisting and stretching brings together several strands that then hold together strongly. They can then serve a purpose and provide an endurance that a single strand on its own would not. Ecclesiastes 4:12b “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” When we wait, we are binding our hearts and minds to the Lord, trusting His timing, and growing stronger in our faith and more content in our ability and willingness to wait on Him, knowing His purposes are beyond our understanding.
Isaiah 30:18 “Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore He will rise up to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!”
The King James Version states it just a little differently,
“And therefore will the LORD wait, that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you; for the LORD is a God of judgment; blessed are all they that wait for Him.”
God’s timing, love, and kindness are so evident in the story of Lazarus (John 11). When Lazarus was sick, his family sent word to Jesus to come- they knew Jesus could heal him, they’d seen His healing power. Yet, Jesus chose to wait. He allowed Lazarus to die. In fact, Lazarus was dead four days before Jesus arrived in Bethany. He knew there would be grief and He, himself, grieved too. Yet He waited.
John 11:3-6 “So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days,”
Did you see that? Jesus loved Lazarus. He loved the sisters. Yet, He chose not to act on their timeline. Why? For God’s glory! It wasn’t out of unkindness or indifference, it was out of a deep love for those who would witness the miracle. He wanted His glory to be evident and their faith to be strengthened. There would be no question of Who He was or what He could do. His Godship would be evident to all.
Friends, sometimes we pray for days and sometimes we pray for years. Whatever the timeline, God is not indifferent. He calls us to wait because He knows exactly when He will act and how He will meet our needs for our good and for His glory. He loves our sons and daughters even more than we do. When it seems He’s not listening, we must remind ourselves that His timing is perfect and His ways are beyond understanding.
As we wait, let’s bind our hearts to Him. Let’s impress His word into our hearts and rest in His promises. Let’s trust Him. He is able. He sees. He hears. He is not indifferent to our cries. Pray that He would act for our good and for His glory. Pray that His Lordship would be evident to all and that He would bind our wavering hearts to His own in the process.
“Lord, waiting is so hard and we don’t do it well. Our impatient, needy hearts want to see action and we want resolution sooner rather than later. But in the waiting, we can learn to trust You more and to rest in Your timing. Help us, Lord. Help us not to run ahead. Help us not to grow impatient or angry when we don’t see You move. Help us to “Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!.” Psalm 27:14 Then help us to pray Micah 7:7 “But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.” Lord, may the waiting bring me closer to You so that I’m fully surrendered to Your timeline and patiently resting in Your plan. Lord, may the waiting strengthen my faith in You and may it be an example to my sons and daughters. Trusting You is best. Waiting on You is never for naught. Let the waiting bring me closer to Your heart, Lord, in Jesus name, Amen.”
Pray without ceasing.
Music can speak deeply to our hearts and point us to Christ in the hard times. Here’s a playlist to listen to in the waiting. Let it remind you of the goodness and sovereignty of God as you pray and wait for His answer.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2qQTchds7QsIrbikoLorRF?si=db8e86ff4c664416
H5975 - ʿāmaḏ - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h5975/niv/wlc/0-1/
A Call to Parents: Encouraging Our Sons & Daughters
“For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.” 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12
We spend much time here at Join the PAC Prayer focusing on praying for our sons and daughters, but today we’re going to take a look at what God calls us to do as parents. What are we called to do? How can we do it well?
Paul wrote to the Thessalonians to encourage them in their faith. Throughout the first and second chapters, Paul urged them to remain true and faithful. He instructed them on how they should live and commended them for what they did well. In chapter two, he explained his ministry motives along with those of Silas and Timothy and the nature of their instruction. Then he gave the statement in verses 11-12 and it’s here we need to pause and take time to ponder because Paul explained three key actions that exemplify how a father (a parent) should deal with his children, “For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.”
Let’s dig deep and get a better understanding of what God encourages us to do as parents.
Encouraging: Parakaleo
The first thing Paul mentioned is that he, Silas and Timothy were encouraging the believers. The Greek word for encouraging is parakaleo. It means to call near or call to one’s side; to exhort, console and comfort; to strengthen and instruct; it means to call in a loud voice; it’s not a silent, behind-the-scenes cheering on (1).
There is more to encouraging our sons and daughters than just saying “Good job! I knew you could do it!” The word ‘parakaleo’ comes from two root words, ‘para’, meaning beside or near, having proximity to (2) and ‘kaleo’ which means to call by name (3). So when we’re encouraging our sons and daughters, we need to call them near, call them by name, take time to be present and to teach and comfort them. We must be focused on them, and strengthen them in those things that are uniquely their own needs- it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. It’s personal. It requires our presence and our mindfulness towards them so that we’re focused and our encouragement stems from knowledge of the individual son or daughter and knowledge from Scripture.
Like a paramedic is a medical professional who comes near to the patient, calls them by name and tends to their needs, our encouragement must be parakaleo, near our sons and daughters, calling them by name and meeting their needs to encourage them to walk faithfully, understand God’s word accurately and remain true to their faith and commitment to God.
Comforting: Paramytheomai
The next thing Paul mentions is comfort. The Greek word for the act of comforting is paramytheomai, which means “to speak to, address one, whether by way of admonition and incentive, or to calm and console” (4). It’s another form of encouragement. Note the prefix ‘para’ is once again a part of the word. It requires coming alongside of another to accomplish the purpose at hand. Paramytheomai means we need to be present and choose to be near, whether in person or, if that’s not possible, in communication and prayer. It’s an active role and not just that of an observer. The other portion of the word, ‘mytheomai’ means to speak, tell a story, a narrative. Often this word was applied to the sharing of genealogies in Biblical times. Consider what is your family’s story and how your sons and daughters could learn from it. Some questions to consider:
What is the heritage that undergirds your family?
What stories of faith are held forth?
What mistakes were made that should not be repeated?
Maybe the heritage of faith began with you … How did you come to know Jesus and begin a personal relationship with Him?
How can your sons and daughters carry on the Godly legacy?
How can you comfort them with lessons from the past and encourage them to be true to God into the future?
Comfort and encouragement can come through the stories of others and out of our own experiences. Those stories should be carried and shared by parents to their children to stand as encouragement and be cautionary as well.
Urging: Martyomai
Finally, Paul urged the Thessalonians to live a life worthy of God. The word used for urging is ‘martyomai’, which means “to be a witness, testify, charge or give evidence, bear record.” (5) Yes, it is related to the word ‘martyr’, describing those who gave their life for their faith. They bore witness and held fast to the testimony of Christ, even to the end. Paul urged, testified and bore witness to the Thessalonians in an effort to encourage them and teach them to hold fast to their faith.
The root word is martys means “one who is mindful, obeys”. (6) It’s not only what Paul wanted the Thessalonians to do, but it was what he held fast to as he lived out his testimony before them. And it’s what we need to do as parents. We need to demonstrate obedience to God and be mindful of what He calls us to do so that our words and actions testify faithfulness to Him to our sons and daughters.
The encouragement, the comfort and the urging are all directed toward helping our sons and daughters live wisely and follow Christ faithfully, or as the King James Version says, “that ye would walk worthy of God” who calls them into His kingdom. Isn’t that one of our most fervent prayers for our sons and daughters? We want them to live a life that acts as an example to others that we are Kingdom bound, sons and daughters of the Most High, His heirs and dearly loved children.
But what does it mean to “walk worthy of God”? The word for walk in Greek is peripateo and it means “to occupy oneself, make progress and follow; to make one’s way and make use of opportunities.” (7) It’s more than just heading in a direction. It’s being cognizant of where one is going, making use of opportunities along the way and always being mindful of whom you are following and the direction in which you are headed. The prefix, peri, comes from a root word, peran, which means, “beyond, on the other side.” (8) It’s directional and locational. It indicates that this walk is more than just a stroll. It’s purposeful. It has a specific destination. It requires mindful participation.
But here’s the powerful part: the remainder of the word, pateo, has a profound meaning. Let’s look at the original wording from Strong’s Concordance. Pateo means, “to advance by setting foot upon, tread upon; to encounter successfully the greatest perils from the machinations and persecutions with which Satan would fain thwart the preaching of the gospel.”(9) Wow!! When we pray for our sons and daughters to walk worthy of God, we’re praying that they will encounter successfully the greatest perils, deceptions, schemes of Satan and will overcome! We pray that they will live out and speak the gospel in ways that will defeat Satan and his demons and will overcome the ‘dangers, toils and snares’ of this life because they’re directionally moving toward the ‘other side’- the Kingdom of God…and Satan will do anything and everything to keep them from it.
These two verses are so rich and so powerful!! It would be beneficial for us to meditate on these Scriptures this week as we pray for our sons and daughters. He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world. We have the power of the Eternal God within reach. He hears the cry of His children and He does not let it go unanswered. Take time today to pray for encouragement, for comfort and to urge this next generation to live victoriously. Why not write these verses down and carry them with you this week, memorize them and meditate on them, they are powerful directives and timeless truths and God can and will use them mightily.
Pray without ceasing.
G3870 - parakaleō - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3870/niv/mgnt/0-1/
G3844 - para - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3844/niv/mgnt/0-1/
G2564 - kaleō - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2564/niv/mgnt/0-1/
G3888 - paramytheomai - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3888/niv/mgnt/0-1/
G3143 - martyromai - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3143/niv/mgnt/0-1/
G3144 - martys - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3144/niv/mgnt/0-1/
G4043 - peripateō - Strong's Greek Lexicon (kjv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4043/kjv/tr/0-1/
G4012 - peri - Strong's Greek Lexicon (kjv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4012/kjv/tr/0-1/
G3961 - pateō - Strong's Greek Lexicon (kjv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3961/kjv/tr/0-1/
Looking for Smoke, Watching for Fire.
Read Jonah 3-4
God called Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh to preach of His pending judgment for their sinful ways and call them to repentance. Jonah’s response wasn’t obedience, but a fast dash in the opposite direction and from God’s command.. But then, the storm, the fish, the 3 day ordeal and Jonah repented….or so we thought. His prayer in Jonah 2:8 was profound, “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.”
When we join him in chapter 3, Jonah is headed into Nineveh, a city of over 120,000 people. It was a large and influential city and a visit to all of Nineveh took no less than three days. That’s an important fact to remember.
Jonah began on day one, preaching “40 more days and Nineveh will be overturned”. Friends, this was one man speaking to a wealthy, influential city. Just one. We’ve seen accounts of someone storming a government meeting, shouting their warning- and being quickly whisked away, while all go back to their business. We’ve seen pictures of a man standing in a crowded city with a sign, “the end of the world is near” as people walk by, indifferent to his warning. Imagine Jonah, preaching God’s judgment in such a huge city- he was likely to be ignored, mocked or run out of town. But no. No, Nineveh listened. In fact, they listened so well that within a day, the entire city believed God’s warning. They began fasting and the king even made a decree that everyone should call urgently on the Lord.. Can you imagine a revival like that?! One day and the entire city was mourning their sin. That’s the power of God at work! Jonah 3:10 “When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.”
You would think Jonah would be rejoicing- so overwhelmed, excited, and grateful that Nineveh responded to God’s message. But Jonah? He wasn’t impressed. In fact, he was angry. He was self-righteous and resentful. Jonah 4:2-3 “He prayed to the Lord, “O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, O Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”” Jonah then went outside the city, made himself a shelter and sat to wait and watch what would happen to the city (v. 5) He wanted to see Nineveh receive what they deserved- a fiery judgment from the Lord. So he waited. He watched. He wanted to see smoke. And his attitude kept him from seeing the blessing and grace of the Lord revealed to over 120,000 souls.
Here’s the thing, Jonah elevated his own standard of justice above God’s. Jonah resented God’s forgiveness of the Ninevites. He wanted to see them receive the just reward for their sinfulness. He was eager to see smoke and he was ready to be smug and say “you got what you deserved!” Yet, he was ignoring the sin in his own heart. Oh, he obeyed God…on the outside, but inside, he was still as resentful, rebellious and selfish as he was when he stepped foot on the boat.
Friends, I fear we are more like Jonah than we might imagine. We have a fierce sense of justice. We hate to see people get away with wrongdoing. We hate to see the wicked prosper. When someone wrongs another, we want to see them caught in their sin and punished for the pain they caused. Yet, what if they repent? What if they confess their sin and seek forgiveness? And what if they receive mercy instead of punishment? If we’re honest, we struggle with forgiveness and mercy toward those who did wrong because it’s not what that ‘other’ deserves. They deserve condemnation. They deserve for God to ‘smite’ them. Our sense of justice might demand they pay a little more, they suffer a bit longer, they earn their way back into grace. Oh friends, God’s justice is not ours. Isaiah 5:16 says, “But the LORD Almighty will be exalted by his justice, and the holy God will be proved holy by his righteous acts.” Psalm 89:14 “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.”
Jonah lost sight of his own sin. He couldn’t see that he was rebellious against God, too. He didn’t see the depth of God’s forgiveness and mercy for him- he could only see the ‘injustice’ of God’s mercy on Nineveh. Jonah was outwardly obedient to God’s command and inwardly turning his back to the Lord’s standards and creating his own. Jonah, himself, had a idol- craving his own sense of justice and fairness, and that idol robbed him of the grace he would receive from God through his surrender and obedience.
Oh, the story of Jonah holds much appeal for our little ones as they learn the miracle of his rescue in the fish. But friends, the story of Jonah holds much for us and our adult sons and daughters in the bigger story of his outward obedience but his inward bitterness and rebellion. It’s not difficult to live in such a way that we ‘appear’ obedient- especially if we were raised in church.. We check all the boxes; we show up as we should; we ‘talk the talk’. But, we can appear outwardly obedient and still rebel against God in our hearts. We can resent his mercy to those who are undeserving….and totally miss the fact that we are just as undeserving. Romans 5:6-8 “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We were undeserving. Justice demanded that we pay for our sin with our life- for eternity. Yet, Jesus stepped in on our behalf. He showed us mercy when we deserved none. And if we accept His sacrifice on our behalf, God looks on us and sees Christ’s righteousness. That, friends, is amazing. It’s undeserved. It's a merciful redemption that changes our eternity. And we should rejoice when anyone believes, repents and surrenders to God.
Do we have a Jonah heart? Do we hold others' sins against them even when God has forgiven them? Are we giddy to see people receive punishment or do we pray for their repentance and that they would know God’s forgiveness? Friends, we have nothing to resent when someone is repentant and shown mercy- it should always be a reminder of the mercy we also received from God. We were and are undeserving. We should rejoice in the repentance of others. And if we can’t? Well, then it might be time to check our hearts.
And Jonah? He was the author of this book. He could have resolved the story and shared how he followed God faithfully. He could have painted himself in a much better light. But he didn’t. Jonah ended his story with God’s rebuke against this prophet’s rebellious, vengeful heart. There was no ‘neat little bow’ on top of this story. Instead, there was a hard lesson and an unresolved sin that leaves us to ponder how Jonah, the prophet and author, was used by God in spite of his heart. And he was used by God in mighty ways. Even unbelievers know the story of Jonah- and God can use those seeds to change lives. Our rebellion will never be powerful enough to prevent God from working…but it can be powerful enough to cause us to forfeit the grace that would be ours.
There is no doubt we’ll meet Jonah in heaven and when we do, I’m sure he will have quite a story…but it’s not just going to be about the fish. It’s going to be about his heart and the weight of God’s mercy toward him. Instead of looking for smoke and watching for fire, let’s look to see how God is working and rejoice when He turns hearts and lives to Him.
Let’s take time to pray today for our own hearts and for those of our sons and daughters. Pray for forgiveness. Pray for a surrendered heart. Pray for freedom from a judgmental spirit. Pray that God would use each of us in spite of ourselves. And pray that we would not cling to idols and forfeit the grace He wants to lavish on each of us.
Pray without ceasing.
The Light of the World
Isaiah 9:2 “The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.”
As we prepare to celebrate Christ’s birth this month, we are going to focus on the names of Jesus spoken in prophecy, mostly those mentioned in Isaiah 9:6. Each day we’ll have a Christmas Season prayer challenge in addition to our prayer points for our sons and daughters. But let’s start with Jesus as the Light of the World and how that speaks to our need and His provision.
When we think about light, we might consider how our sun gives such radiant light, that nothing can really compare to it. When we wake up and see the sun is out, it illuminates everything and we can see clearly. Oh, we’ve created artificial light that is powerful and pierces the dark, yet it can never match the fullness nor the comprehensive light provided by the sun. Have you ever driven by a highway crew working at night? The powerful lights pierce the darkness, yet they are no comparison to daylight. They still do not offer the fullness of light that daytime brings. They just cannot reproduce that all-encompassing light that drives away the dark. Any other light is just an insufficient, incomplete imitation that can’t even come close. The daylight brings everything into perspective and drives the dark away. That is a beautiful picture of Jesus and the spiritual freedom and release that He brings. Jesus is the Light of the World.
When scripture talks about “People walking in darkness”, we can picture it. People walking slowly, unable to really see what is around them, perhaps stumbling or walking without purpose.. In the darkness there is danger, obstacles and pitfalls that cannot be seen. The darkness hides those with ill intent, wanting to do harm or commit crime. Darkness itself is a metaphor for everything evil, for everything associated with Satan.
Strong’s Concordance defines darkness ‘hosek’ in the Hebrew, as “darkness, obscurity, misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow and wickedness.”(1) There is nothing and no one in this world that can conquer that list. No one but God. Why would we think otherwise? Well, that’s part of the deception of the Enemy. He leads us to believe we can find light, meaning, happiness, restoration, life, wisdom, joy and goodness in anything but Jesus. That’s the great lie and that’s part of the darkness itself.
So when scripture says “People walking in darkness” it’s a very apt metaphor that gives a clear picture of what the human spiritual condition is without Jesus. Without Christ, there is no light; there is no ability to see and perceive spiritual wisdom and no way to have spiritual freedom. But scripture doesn’t just leave it there, it continues saying, the people walking in darkness have seen a great light…. What a powerful, hopeful statement! Jesus is the light of the world and He alone came to shine into the darkness and redeem those wandering without hope and without light. “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light (Jesus).”
As we prepare to celebrate Christ’s birth, let’s ponder the significance of His entry into this world and what His presence brought to all of mankind. He chose to leave heaven and enter this sinful world so that He could bring light and life to all who would believe. John 8:12 “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.””
Friends, today, let’s pray that our sons and daughters realize, without a doubt, that Jesus is the Light of the World and in Him they will find life, redemption, forgiveness and purpose. Pray that they will gain an eternal perspective because Jesus’ light dawns in their hearts and minds. And today’s Christmas Season challenge? Choose one person at random, maybe at a traffic light sitting in the car ahead of you, or standing in the checkout line at the store and pray that they would come to know Jesus as the Light of the World, their Savior and Redeemer.
Pray without ceasing.
H2822 - ḥōšeḵ - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (kjv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h2822/kjv/wlc/0-1/