John 8:12-30
Be Still: Lord of light, illuminate my heart and mind today. Amen
Read: John 8:12-30
'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.' (v12)
Encounter: When I was about 12 or 13, like many people I was a bit afraid of the dark. One night I woke up in the middle of the night, convinced that I had heard something. I had an old guitar in my room, and I became aware of a slight noise near it - I held my breath, every muscle tensed. Suddenly the guitar strummed a massive chord! I leapt up, panic-stricken, switched my light on - and there, sat on the guitar, was a large moth - it had landed on my guitar, caught its wings, and somehow managed to strum a chord. I can tell you it took a while for my heart rate to return to normal and get back to sleep that night.
The darkness elevated my tension and my fear -- it seemed to have some power over me. What a difference the light made! It is easy to feel overwhelmed by darkness. I don’t need to spell out the ways we see that around us every day.
The trick of the darkness is to make you feel it has power that it doesn’t actually have. Darkness is simply an absence of light. Just a little tiny bit of light can be enough to overcome the dark -- a conversation with a friend, a small win at work, a walk in the fresh air -- these things can bring some light. But far beyond these small light-bringers, is Jesus’ proclamation to us that he is the light of the world.
Despite the darkness, there is hope, because light always beats darkness: Jesus brings to us the ‘light of life’.
Apply: If you light a tiny candle in a dark room, it transforms the space. Scientists tell us that light is the only form of energy we can see. Darkness is simply an absence of light: so any light at all beats it. If I open the door of my house at night, the light spills out, the darkness doesn’t spill in. When we live our lives alongside Jesus, we never need to be afraid of the darkness around us -- his light is enough for us all.
Devote: Lord when I am afraid of the darkness, the difficulties and the disappointments, would you send your light? Remind me that you chose, and you still choose, to step into my darkness to bring your eternal light. Thank you, Jesus.