“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.” (Isaiah 9:2 KJV).

When we awaken from sleep in the middle of the night in our darkened bedroom the first thing most of us do is reach for a light to help us see. Some of us may keep a night light on so that we are not groping in the dark to find a flashlight. For we know that to try and navigate the room without the light can be painful! We might stub a toe on the edge of a chair. Or we might stumble over another piece of furniture in the room.

Likewise, to try and navigate life in this world without the Light of Christ can be equally painful and devastating. In John 8:12 Jesus declared that He was the light of the world. That declaration was a direct fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 9:2. Most people are completely in the dark when it comes to knowing Who God is and what He is like! Most are completely in the dark when it comes to knowing how to have a living, personal relationship with Him!

But the good news of the Gospel is that Jesus, who is the Light of the World, has come to reveal God to us; to show us exactly who He is and what He is like (John 14:9). And not only did He come to reveal God to us, He also came to show us how we can know Him and be with Him forever (John 14:6, Rom. 10: 9-10).

Because Christ has come we no longer have to stumble around in the darkness of life! We no longer have to walk in the darkness of sin or be plagued by the fear of death! Because the Light has come we can see clearly how to live and we can know the real meaning and purpose of life. We can truly know who we are, why we are here and where we are going! There is no other light anywhere that can give us such illumination!

Let us embrace that Light and walk in it (1 John 1: 6-7). It makes a huge difference in our world.

Rev. James W. Black