divine_illumination

Divine Illumination in Days of Darkness,
by Randall D. Kittle

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” — Ephesians 5:8

The first day of winter is the shortest day of the year. Now it still has 24 hours, but it has the fewest hours of daylight. This makes it literally the darkest day of the year. As such, it is a perfect reflection of the days in which we live upon the earth — days in which the values of our society are increasingly growing dark and godless.

It is the same for us as believers. In the dark days of our current culture, we are called to shine forth as the light of the Lord. The true light of Christmas is not really the star that guided the wise men 2,000 years ago. It is Jesus Christ, the Light of life, who has called us out of darkness and into His wonderful light.

God has always been a God of light. First John 1:5 tells us that “… God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all.” The very first thing recorded in the Bible is God speaking into the formless, empty, darkness of eternity and declaring, “Let there be light.” Suddenly, light from Creator-God filled the void and the Living, Tri-une God saw the goodness of His light swallowing up the darkness.

Thousands of years later in the dark days of the Roman Empire the world was once again dark and devoid of character. Society had become little more than the few oppressing the many; with a mindset that “the ends justified the means” and holding as their only real value that “might makes right.” Mankind had sunk into the discouraging darkness of his own cruelty and depravity, and the religion of almost all of mankind was hopeless and helpless to bring any relief. Against this black backdrop God once again brought the presence of His brilliant light as He fulfilled the promise of Isaiah 60:1–3 by the incarnation of Jesus the Christ, “Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.”

And now once again in the dark days in which we live the Lord is calling us — His Church — to be His light in this world. The Lord has not only called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light, He declares to each of us “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). Let us allow the light of God’s presence to shine out from within us into this dark world, bringing them the light of Christ … the hope of this world.