Light Has Dawned I must confess that I seldom see the dawn these days. Most of the time when I wake up the sun is already shining brightly. I can count the number of times I stayed up through the night on one hand, and even then I dont remember seeing the sun come up. In my working days, and when I went to school, my waking-up habits were different, by necessity. Those days contain my memories of seeing the light spread over the eastern sky, sometimes with brilliant hues of pink and red and orange, before the sun peeped over the mountains. Some of the most beautiful sights Gods world has to offer are in those moments at the start of a new day. Spiritually, though, I have passed through many times of darkness, even as the sun lit every corner of the waking world. When that darkness breaks, and the Light returns, the dawning day is more beautiful even than the one my eyes see in the natural world. Even in those times when things seem at their darkest, I have become aware that I am never really alone, that even there my Lord does not desert me. That is His promise, after all, but sometimes we forget. A number of years ago, I wrote a verse of a song I called “Passages” about that experience of His presence in the darkness: Before the darkness makes way for the morning Before the night time surrenders to day He walks through the shadows beside me And His smile drives the darkness away. Regardless of the state of our personal lives, the world around us is indeed in a period of great darkness, and it seems that evil is triumphing everywhere. Wars and terrorism are breaking out in many different places, often in places we dont even hear about. Disease epidemics and natural disasters, like earthquakes, droughts, and floods, are just as rampant. If we focus on those things, it is easy to become fearful and depressed, so that the darkness gains expression in our own souls. No matter how dire things are in the world, we always have Light. He lives in us, and is always around us. We are Light carriers, if we serve Him. We always see the dawn of a new day in Him: Matthew 4:16 The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned. Where sin abounds, the Word says, grace abounds even more (Romans 5:20). No matter how dark things may appear, God is always near at hand. The idea that He has left His people is a lie of the enemy, No matter where we go, no matter what were doing, Hes always there. Psalms 139:7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall fall on me, Even the night shall be light about me; 12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 13:51:46 +0000
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