by Wendy Wood
Psalm 27:1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
John 8:12 “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
1 John 1:5 “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”
Light is defined as “something that makes things visible or affords illumination”. Light makes things clear and able to distinguish. When we are in the dark, it is difficult to see objects clearly. We may stumble around our house, tripping on things left on the floor, banging our knees against the coffee table, stub a toe on the corner of the doorway, all because we don’t see clearly what is around us. Darkness can also be a place of fear. Walking down a dark street, we tend to look around us with fear. Our hearts will beat a little faster, our senses will be on full alert and we walk faster trying to get to a lighted area. Darkness reveals our weakness and timidity. Darkness inhibits life. Things that are alive need light to grow and flourish. Without the sun, our universe’s source of light, there would be no life. Earth would be left cold and dead. Plants must have light to go through the process of photosynthesis. This allows plants to produce food and oxygen for all life on earth. Darkness leaves us blind, fearful and lifeless.
But, if we have light, all that changes. Light gives us the ability to see things clearly, to experience life, and to have courage. God is light. God gives us the ability to see Him clearly and to see ourselves clearly in relation to Him. God gives us life. He is the Creator of life and sustainer of life. In Him we have eternal life. God is the source of courage. It is in His strength and presence that we can act boldly in faith.
Psalm 119:130 tells us “The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.” Without God’s word, we are left unable to see clearly, trying to figure out life on our own. We are self centered and look for ways to solve our problems on our own. We are not meant to do this. We are creatures. We are sinful. We are dependent on God for everything. Before the fall in Genesis 3, man was made to depend on God for water, food, shelter, wisdom, understanding, and companionship. God graciously gives us the light of his word. Psalm 119:25 says “My soul clings to dust; give me life according to your word.” On our own, we cling to worthless things. We are blinded to seeing ourselves clearly. Our sin blinds us to our own sinfulness. Jeremiah 17:9 reminds us that our hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked. Without the word of God, we fail to see our need for Christ. We are left to stumble and fall in the darkness of a sinful world. God is light. God’s word is light. God reveals himself to us. God declares himself in Exodus 20:2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” In Isaiah 43:3 God states, “For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” In John 14:6 Jesus makes known, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.” God tells us who he is. He reveals himself in the light of his word. He is our God. He is our Creator. He is our Lord. He is our Savior. He is the way. He is truth. He is life. God shows us the way to think about him and us. Scripture tells us that we are sinners and that our sin separates us from God. “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear” (Isaiah 59:1-2). The light of God’s word exposes our sinfulness and reveals God’s holiness. In light of who God is and who we are, we see life clearly. We need a holy Savior and Redeemer. We need to depend on God to show us our sin. God’s word is “living and active, sharper than any double edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joint and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” God is light. He exposes our need for Him through the light of His word.
God is light. He is the Creator and Giver of life. “The Lord is my light and my salvation” (Psalm 27:1). It is only in Christ, that we experience life. Light is necessary for our life. John 1:3-4 says “All things were made through him and without him not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” We are born dead. Our sin separates us from God and makes us spiritually dead to truth. Ephesians 2:1 says “And you were dead in the trespasses and sin in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience - among whom we are once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” We were dead. We all naturally choose sin and selfishness over God and others. God exposes our desperate situation and then is the answer to our problem. He is light and life. “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight, making known to us the mystery of his will” (Ephesians 1:7-9a). As the sun gives what is necessary for life on earth, God gives what is necessary for eternal life with him. God gave us Jesus. God gives us eternal life with him through faith in Jesus Christ. God lights the way out of slavery to sin and into the freedom to be a servant of Christ where true life and joy are found.
God is light. He gives us courage and confidence to walk obediently with him through life. God gives us the Holy Spirit to dwell in us and gives us his power to live life in him. When Paul address Timothy in his second letter, Paul encourages Timothy that God has given him a spirit of power to live boldly. “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in the suffering for the gospel by the power of God” (2 Timothy 1:7-8). Instead of being fearful and worrying about what others think of us, or if we can handle a situation on our own, God is the light of courage. His spirit in us grants us everything we need to live content, obedient lives. When we fix our eyes on the Light, we see clearly that this world is not our home. The courage to live a life that pleases God, not man (including ourselves), is a gift from the Light of the world. With light, we see clearly where God’s path goes. Psalm 119:9 tells us that we can keep our way pure by living according to his word. Psalm 119:19 says, “I am a sojourner on earth; hide not your commandments from me!” “Your testimonies are my delight, they are my counselors” (Psalm 119:24). Psalm 119 is a beautiful song about the glories of God’s word. God’s word is the light to our path. He shows us the way we need to go and gives us the courage to walk that path. Throughout this chapter we see the psalmist entreating God to give him the strength and courage to live it out. “Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways” (verse 37). It is God who gives us the ability to be faithful. It is God who gives us power to change and be obedient. We participate with him by staying in his word, meditating on His attributes and commands. We step out in faith knowing the Light is always with us.
Which of these descriptions of light do you most need to cling to right now? God’s light to reveal His own awesomeness and our sinfulness? God’s light to give eternal life in Christ? Or God’s light to give courage in the face of eternity?
What needs to change in these areas in your thinking, believing, and acting?
Is God your Light? How are you living in the Light?