The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. (Isaiah 9:2, NLT)
In 2012, Hurricane Sandy took aim at the Northeast and left many homes without power. My home was one of those. The night the storm hit, we were sitting in our family room keeping an eye on the news reports about the storm when, in an instant, we were in darkness. Our only sources of light were candles and flashlights. The storm had disconnected us from the source of our power, and we remained disconnected for almost two weeks. This past Friday, we were hit with another storm that had the potential to cause power outages. But thanks to a generator that we just had installed, we had no reason to worry about being disconnected from our power source, no reason to fear being left in the dark.
Jesus is the light of the world, and those who believe in and follow Him no longer walk in the darkness of their sin because they have the light of life (John 8:12). Our sin not only causes us to walk in darkness but also causes us to be darkness. But when we live in Christ, who is the light, we become light in Him (Ephesians 5:8). He becomes our source of power, enabling us to shine His light in the world around us. Because the power of Christ works in us, we are able to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14-16). But we need to stay connected to the power source, to Jesus, so that our light continues to shine.
Jesus said that in this world we will have trouble. The storms of life will come bearing with them the potential to disconnect us from the source of our power. Like a hurricane, they can leave us in spiritual darkness. But, when we put our faith in Christ, God calls us out of darkness into His light, and we become a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a people chosen by God to proclaim His goodness (1 Peter 2:9). And because He wants us to live in the light, to stay connected to His power, God has given us the Holy Spirit. Much like my generator will help my home to stay in the light, the Holy Spirit comes alongside us in the storms of life to help us to stay in the light of Christ. Like a spiritual generator, the Holy Spirit helps us to stay connected to our power source.
When we allow the Holy Spirit to dwell in us, to comfort us in the storms, to give us wisdom, strength, and courage, we never need to fear the darkness. He will help us to walk in the light of the One who is the true light, the One in whom there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5).
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
A Worshiper's Journal 