Light in the Darkness


We have all shifted our lives from our workspaces to working from home. For some, working from home is nothing new. I do it on occasion, but not very often, because concentration is more of a challenge when I’m home. But, here we are and we’re all learning new things.

As I sat at in my home office, working on the Bible Study for Adult Sunday School, I glanced down at my Bible and was rather shocked to see this sight.
I rarely notice such things, but there was a “sword” of sun light that demanded I take notice. I don’t have any windows in my office at church (and don’t feel sorry for me. I like it that way), but here at home, my office is filled with sunlight. I was quite taken with the view, so much so, I had to have a picture, which I share with you here.

2 Samuel 22:1-3a, 26-31
1And David spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. 2He said, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, 3my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge,   
26“With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
27with the purified you deal purely, and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
28You save a humble people, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.
29For you are my lamp, O Lord, and my God lightens my darkness.
30For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.
31This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

Of course, the whole Ephesians 6:17 thing came to mind. “[Take up] … the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” That application was pretty obvious. But then I think I was drawn into a deeper place – [a sword] of light in the darkness. That phrase occurs a few times in the Scripture, but maybe most famously in Psalm 18 (which is captured again here in 2 Samuel) and John 1.

John 1:1-5
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. 4In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

When all around me looks like despair, there is always still the truth of the Gospel – the Word of God. Jesus was there in the very beginning, calling light out of the darkness, calling life out of nothing. Even in our times of distress we are not in complete darkness. No – we are children of the Light. And there’s nothing that can change that status, not the virus, or the economy, or empty grocery shelves.

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