07122026 Light in Darkness

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of God our Light. Oh, how we need light!

Micah described a time of deprivation and darkness. There was nothing to sustain his soul. Good men had disappeared from the earth. Malice, treachery, and bribery were practiced by men everywhere. Even the best of men were injurious. Friends, spouses, and family members could not be trusted. (Micah 7:1-6)

In such dark days of evil and betrayal, where did Micah fix his vision? “Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me” (Micah 7:7). That must be the answer when things are at their worst. God is the anchor to whom we must cling. He and He alone is the source of salvation. He is the One who will hear us in our trouble.

Micah continues with a beautiful picture of hope and statement of faith in his troubling times. “Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall I will rise; though I dwell in darkness, the LORD is a light for me” (Micah 7:8). Yes, things could be bad. Life could look hopeless. With his eyes fixed on the God of his salvation, however, Micah knew there was hope. Even if he fell in those treacherous days, Micah was confident he would get back up. Any rejoicing of the enemy would be short-lived. What I love most is his statement that though he lived in darkness, God was his light.

Light in my darkness. There is no darkness so thick that God cannot give light. That light might be like a candle flame that prevents the total darkness from squeezing in, or it might be like a flashing explosion that obliterates the darkness. Micah presents the possibility of living in darkness, so in his case, life was dark, but just not 100%. God was with him to give him enough light to continue. He was not trapped deep inside a cave without a torch to comfort and guide him. He could still function. He could still live for God. In fact, he was not oppressed by the same darkness that consumed everyone else.

Light in my darkness. This light comes to us first in salvation. Perhaps with no one else was that as dramatic as it was with Saul in Acts 9:3, when a blinding light accompanied God’s coming to him. Jesus came as “a light to lighten the Gentiles” (Luke 2:32). What a wonderful statement that “the people that walked in darkness have seen a great light” (Isaiah 9:2). Jesus came so that those who believe in Him “should not abide in darkness” (John 12:46). Those who believe have been called by God “out of darkness into his marvellous light” (I Peter 2:9).

Light in my darkness. God gives us the light of knowledge. I think of Daniel, who was troubled by a vision, “mourning three full weeks” (Daniel 10:2). He “set [his] heart to understand” (Daniel 10:12), but the answer was delayed. Finally, an angel came to give him understanding and light. When we know God, we know how to walk. “In [his] light shall we see light” (Psalm 36:9). His Word is “a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105) and “the entrance of [his] words giveth light” (Psalm 119:130).

Light in my darkness. God gives us the light of hope in times of discouragement. Job described the oppression of his trial. “A land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness” (Job 10:22). Job’s darkness was pretty thick. He recalls dark days of the past and remembers that “by his light I walked through darkness” (Job 29:3). In the end, Job saw that God “giveth songs in the night” (Job 35:10); Job found those songs and that light in his statements of faith. He learned, as Paul did, that it is possible to be “troubled on every side, yet not distressed; … perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed” (II Corinthians 4:8-9). God’s light makes the difference so that we are not swallowed up.

Light in my darkness. God gives the light of deliverance. Sometimes His light really is like the light at the end of the tunnel, when we finally emerge into brightness, a reprieve from the time of oppression. I think this is how Joseph must have felt after the long years of slavery, false imprisonment, careless neglect, and separation from family; he kept a light of hope through all those years, but finally, it broke out into bright sunshine. Elihu describes such deliverance: “to bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living” Job 33:30). David gives a picturesque testimony: “For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness” (Psalm 18:28). God shows His goodness by delivering and blessing His children. “Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness” (Psalm 112:4).

At times this life can be dark, but there is no darkness that is greater than God. “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehendeth it not” (John 1:5). [seize, possess, absorb, overpower]. When we walk with God, we cannot be swallowed up by darkness. “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12).

May God shine His light on you this week in all the ways you need it most, and may He also shine on those who dwell in darkness around you.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA