The necessity of Light

Light and darkness – Imagine with me for a moment if you will? Close your eyes and allow your mind to take you to a hallway inside of your home. It’s dark, (middle of the night dark) there are no lights on to guide so you stand determined to proceed forward in caution stretching one hand in front of you, and the other stretched out to the side in an attempt to feel your way to your desired location (all the while hoping not to bump into or trip over anything). As you travel down that hall, you find that even in the familiarity of your own home, it’s tough and regardless of all of your caution you can wind up in a fit of pain having unexpectedly stubbed your toe or tripping over a stray toy or shoe. This occurance causes you to shout out in response and curse the darkness leaving you to scramble for the nearest light switch.
Our instinct in this moment is to reach for light to remove the darkness around us so that we can see. In much the same manner- God uses light throughout His word to prove His dominance in removing darkness, giving a believer eyes to see – associating light with good, and darkness with evil.

Genesis 1 outlines the story of creation. Through this chapter we learn that before there was anything there was darkness, (I imagine the darkness of that hallway we just pictured – only multiplied by 1,000) and God spoke light into a place where it had never existed before.

Genesis‬ ‭1:1-4‬,

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

Genesis 1:16 says;

And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

Through His plan we see that God takes this dark and formless place, He gives it form and brings light into it showing us through the order of creation that life was never meant to exist without it. He even purposes that light to perform a work – and its results are seen all around us through the plants that grow, tides that come in, and the way that life effortlessly flows through its existence.

Psalms 119:105 goes on to tell us,

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Through these words we see that not only did God speak a physical light into existence at the beginning of time, but in all His provision, He gives us another – a light that shines from His word.

2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that all scripture is God breathed…the Bible is God’s word written on pages wrapped into a book, and provided to us as the lamp described in Psalms 119:105.

Much the same as the light that He spoke into existence so long ago, the light of His word stands purposely to do work….that light that we just read about, the one that serves as the lamp unto our feet…

Isaiah 55:1 tells us that it also does a work;

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

God’s word produces – it does work. It accomplishes! For the depressed it brings joy. For the hurt it brings healing. For the distraught it brings peace. For the lost it brings direction. For the broken it brings reconciliation. For the lost it brings Salvation. For EVERY dark place that exists within our life, His word offers a light to shine in its midst.

God uses His word found in the Bible the exact same way that He used it in creation only instead of seperating the light and darkness on the outside, He uses it to seperate the light from the darkness within us, yet so many of us attempt to live a life without it. We attept to navigate life the same as that darkened hall feeling our way through it according to a way that it was never designed to be lived, bumping into and tripping over things that had we had that light we never would have.

Psalms 119:130;

The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

Reading God’s word allows His word to enter into our lives. It is vital for everyday living just the same as the light from the Sun is necessary to life on this planet. It is in His word that we allow Him to use that light to shine direction, comfort, deliverance, and provide every answer in which we seek.

I don’t know about you, but I want that light to shine within me. I want that light to shine in every dark place that exists within my soul. What about you? Are you tired of living in the ‘darkness’ of life? If that’s you I encourage you to open His word today even if it is only for five minutes. Open His word and allow Him to begin to speak light into you. You won’t regret it, and He won’t let you down. Join me today – Choose Him.