Wednesday, September 22, 2021

“Jesus said, ‘For a brief time still, the light is among you. Walk by the light you have so darkness doesn’t destroy you. If you walk in darkness, you don’t know where you’re going. As you have the light, believe in the light. Then the light will be within you, and shining through your lives. You’ll be children of light.’” (John 12: 35 36, The Message Bible)

                Welcome, autumn!

                Today is the first day of the autumn season. The Fall has generally been my favourite season of the year. Crisp, cooler air after a hot summer. The dazzling colours of autumn leaves. The tart crunch of a fresh-picked apple. Thanksgiving weekend. Even my birthday. What’s not to like?

                But as I get older, as much as I still greatly enjoy this time of year, there is one thing about the Fall that bothers me. The days get shorter; the nights get longer. We are losing daylight faster and sooner each and every day. Of course, there is not anything you or I can do about this natural progression but the reduction of light can make me anxious. Not to mention, of course, that it is all a precursor to winter. But it is the persistent loss of light that makes me a little sad and regretful.

                I can remember times when we were at a cottage in the summer. I would wake up in the middle of the night and it was pitch dark, no light, no sound. It was as dark with my eyes open as it was when they were shut. It actually triggered a little of my claustrophobia. Am I too old for a night light?

                The Psalms often express the worry and fear of  being in the dark. “When I was in deep trouble, I searched for the Lord. All night long I prayed, with hands lifted toward heaven, but my soul was not comforted.” (Psalm 77:2, New Living Translation) Darkness can be filled with spiritual shadows, anxiety, pain, distress and more. The world might look more scary and life more treacherous in the dark. Threats seem larger. Problems seem more insurmountable. Difficulties seem unsolvable. “Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief.” (Psalm 22: 2, NLT)

                But it also needs to be pointed that the Psalms express great hope and confidence when the darkness seems so strong. “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” (Psalm 30:5, NLT) God has not abandoned us. “Morning, noon, and night I cry out in my distress, and the Lord hears my voice.” (Psalm 55:17, NLT) We are never alone no matter how dark, bleak, gloomy or shadowy it may seem. Even Psalm  77 (quoted above) which starts out full of anxiety and loneliness in the night turns his voice to words of confidence and assurance, “But then I recall all you have done, O Lord; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago. They are constantly in my thoughts.  I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works. O God, your ways are holy. Is there any god as mighty as you?” (Psalm 77: 11 – 13, NLT)             

“Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day.” (Psalm 91:5, NLT)

Jesus, who embodied Light, challenges us to walk in the Light, specifically his Light. The axiom that it is better to light a single candle than curse the darkness may not be in the Bible but it could be. And when that Light is the Love of Christ, the Mercy of his Forgiveness, the Compassion of his Comfort, the Hope of his Promises, the world is indeed a much brighter place. Moreover, we are no longer just stumbling about in the dark. We see where we are going. Best of all, we have a Companion to guide and lead us forward through the dark.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” (John 1: 5, NLT)

May you and I always shine because of his Light.

 

Dale