Day 15: Your Light Will Rise
“And if you give yourself to the hungry
(If you draw out your soul)
And satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
Then your light will rise in darkness
And your gloom will become like midday.”
I love the first rays of sun that creep over the canyons and tree tops when I’m out camping in the wilderness. It’s usually cool, and the sun’s warmth brings comfort from the crisp night; it brings anticipation of adventures that await.
The power and properties of light are seen throughout scripture. In Genesis God created the light. The temple was given the lampstand of light. When Matthew speaks of Jesus’ birth, he says, “the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.” Mathew 4:16
The New Testament priest Zechariah gives us a beautiful picture of Jesus as a sunrise that gives light, “because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” Luke 1:78-79
Jesus himself said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12
Jesus’ very nature is to dispel darkness, to be the light of the world, to illuminate the pathway in front of us. I can think of times in my life when I felt like I was in the midst of darkness, pulled into the gloom of hopelessness and hurt. More than ever I needed the light of Jesus to guide my way toward peace and warm the cold nights of failure and disappointment.
Here is my challenge to you. As Jesus lifts the gloom from your life, and as freedom comes in like the light of a new morning cresting the canyons, let it fill every space of darkness in your life. Let His light become your light. Ask for it even now as you read this.
Today’s reading says, “Then your light will rise in the darkness…”
Even when you are in the midst of a dark place, God’s promise is clear. Your light will rise in a place where there is no light. Choose not to focus on the night, and instead focus on the light.
“Imagine every action God has worked in your life as a single particle of light that gathers with all of the other moments of grace, love, and forgiveness to ignite a light that is undeniable.”
Imagine every action God has worked in your life as a single particle of light that gathers with all of the other moments of grace, love, and forgiveness to ignite a light that is undeniable. Invite God-given strength to rise within you and lift your heart to a better place; a light that others see as a witness to the transformative work of God in your life. Transformative because our scripture tells us our gloom will become like the midday. The thing that brought calamity and pulled you into your gloom WILL be transformed into the brightness of the mid day.