When your home suffers a power outage, do you find yourself jiggling the light switch? It could be a burnt out bulb, but if all the other rooms are dark, the bulb’s not the problem. There’s no power. The electricity exists somewhere, but it’s not flowing into your home. So for a while–who knows how long?–you’ll have to wait.
But sometimes we can’t afford the delay. If we have projects piling up or a test tomorrow or it’s past dinnertime, we hop in the car and drive to a place with the lights on. No need to inquire–if we see the lights burning, the establishment has electricity and our problem is over. At least for the moment.
Our reliance on electric lights has diminished our sensitivity to nighttime. We can work all night in rooms that are brighter than a summer day. Our eyes don’t tell us if it’s late; clocks do.
Artificial lights inhibit us from recognizing when it’s daytime and when it’s night. This is true in the spiritual realm, too.
The Bible declares that “God is light; in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). But people fabricate substitutes for Him, artificial replacements that are more acceptable to them. Idols take God’s place and they seem to deliver. But when crises hit, idols prove inadequate. When there’s a power shortage or light bulbs break, we can no longer see. And when idols fail people, they can no longer rely on them.
The Lord delights to illumine the obscurity that seeks to envelop us. Here’s what He offers us.
Hope
“But now for a brief moment grace has been shown from the LORD our God, to leave us an escaped remnant and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our bondage.” – Ezra 9:8 (NASB)
When we’re down in the dumps and can’t find our way out of the predicament, a little hope can do wonders. We get a twinkle in our eyes; your problem may still exist, but we don’t feel stuck; we envision a future of freedom. God offers us a way forward and that sense of possibility energizes and encourages our souls.
Life
“Behold, God does all these oftentimes with men, 30to bring back his soul from the pit, that he may be enlightened with the light of life.” – Job 33:29-30 (NASB)
“Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; enlighten my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death.” – Psalm 13:3
It doesn’t get more basic that this! When God enlightens us, He keeps us alive. The Lord guards us from hidden dangers and He allows us to see the blessings He provides. Without His light, we’ll stumble over the traps of this world and we’ll miss out on His bounty. So God grants us His light that we would behold and enjoy His care.
Wisdom
“The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.” – Psalm 19:8 (NASB)
“Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge, or showed him the path of understanding?” – Isaiah 40:14
The ways of the Lord suffer mockery, but God is no fool. His wisdom is deep and His decisions are just. If we follow Him, we develop our character and learn how to handle the problems that confront us. By obeying His Word, we fill our lives with meaning.
Spiritual Awareness
“There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.” – John 1:9 (NASB)
Ideas are like light bulbs; some people have more than others, some notions are brighter than others, and some beliefs are broken. By contrast, the light of the sun is universal. It makes no difference if our homes have incandescent, fluorescent, or LED bulbs; we all need sunshine.
And through Jesus Christ, God has blessed everyone with spiritual light. To extend the analogy, we could say that God is the sun and Jesus is the light that emanates from the sun. He enables us to see; without Christ, our world would be dark. As C. S. Lewis wrote, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen, not only because I see it but because by it, I see everything else.” Through Jesus, we begin to understand ourselves, the world, and God. His light helps us to see reality as it is, not as we wish it to be.
Salvation
“It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.” – Hebrews 6:4-6
“But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings.” – Hebrews 10:32 (NASB)
The light of the gospel of Jesus Christ reveals to us the truth about God, others, and ourselves. The Lord enlightens us that we would see our need and His grace and that we would turn to Him. We also discover that salvation is a gift; rather than trying to earn it, we need only receive it. Jesus has paid the price for us.
But the gospel draws opposition. The writer to the Hebrews reminds his readers that although God’s grace is free, trusting in Christ exacts a high price. We encounter hostility from the world which rejects Him. But we also find ourselves tempted to abandon Him in favor of an easier path.
Yet we have hope. The light of Christ which draws us to God will show us how our faith is being tested and how we’re to respond. Jesus doesn’t abandon His disciples; He knows what we need.
Sanctification
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.” – Ephesians 1:18
This verse combines all the elements we’ve discussed about enlightenment: hope, life, wisdom, and salvation. And it does so by directing us toward what theologians call sanctification or holiness. God saves us to grow us. Our relationship with Him is a precious gift that will take all eternity to unfold. Each day represents an opportunity for us to know the Lord better, to serve Him with our whole hearts, and to honor Him in everything we say and do.
As accustomed as we are to light bulbs, they cannot take the place of sunlight. So also in matters of the spirit–the resources of this world pale in comparison to what God has invested in us.
“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” – 2 Corinthians 4:6
Shine the light of Jesus!
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