LIGHT OF THE WORLD
By Jeremy Lim, Session Elder
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.” John 8:12 (NIV)
I’m afraid of the dark. The irony in this is that I tend to do a lot of things in the dark. I hike in the dark, kayak, snorkel, scuba dive, fish—all in the dark and often by myself. But the only reason I’m willing to do these things is because I always have a light. Of course, there have been times when my light fails and I’ve struggled to keep fear from overwhelming me.
Without a light, accomplishing even the most simple tasks in the dark can be an exercise in futility and frustration. We will always face challenges in life and whether there is a literal or figurative darkness surrounding the challenge, darkness will distort or limit our perspective of reality. But it doesn’t change what is real. Hiking on a treacherous trail may be more difficult or even impossible in the dark, but the trail remains the same whether it is illuminated or not.
I recently read this excerpt from the Experiencing God devotional by Henry Blackaby:
“If, however, you notice the world around you becoming darker and darker, don’t blame the darkness! It is simply doing what darkness does. The only remedy for darkness is light.”
Darkness will always do what darkness does. It will hide issues that need to be addressed or make it feel impossible for us to know how to deal with them. It will lead to hopelessness and ultimately an unwillingness to even attempt to deal with many of the challenges in our lives. Darkness will understandably lead to fear—except, like my fear of the dark, when we have light.
When Jesus says “I am the Light of the world”, He is not making a metaphorical statement simply meant to make us feel good. He wants the truth and practicality of this statement to change our lives. It will not change our circumstances, but it will change the way we see our circumstances. It will give us hope and confidence to deal with even the toughest challenges in our personal lives and in the world around us. Add to this His promise to never leave us (Matthew 28:20) and that we are part of the body of Christ where each part supports the other (Ephesians 4:16), and not only will we never have to walk in darkness, we never have to walk alone!
How might darkness be leading to frustration, hopelessness or even denial in your life right now? Allowing Jesus’ Light to shine into this darkness may reveal some challenging realities, but remember that with His Light comes hope and the power to change and grow so that we can experience the reality of His healing and wholeness.
Prayer: Jesus, I know that challenges in life are inevitable, but the darkness surrounding them does not need to be. Let Your light pierce through the darkness in my life and in the world so that I can have hope and strength to face whatever is in front of me. In Your Name I pray, Amen.
Share this with a friend: