Light

The Lord’s Light Has Come For You

2022 Midweek Advent Devotionals [Isaiah 60:1-5]

Are you afraid of the dark? We might think that being afraid of the dark is just a phase that children go through. Researchers estimate that 3 out of 4 kids between the ages of 3 and 12 are afraid of the dark. But it’s not just kids. They also estimate that 11% of adults are afraid of the dark, too and they theorize that those numbers have only increased. The anxieties, stressors, and uncertainties of the past years have only exacerbated fears and phobias of all kinds.

There is something about darkness that heightens our fear. Stories are just a little scarier when you’re huddled around a campfire or a flash light. Closets full of clothes and empty alleyways that are perfectly safe during the day seem much more menacing at night.

Most of us look for a flashlight to put our fears of darkness to rest. Maybe you grab one from the drawer or open the app on your phone, but when it's dark and you’re afraid you reach for light.

But there are some fears a flashlight or an app cannot lay to rest. We live in a world of shadows and darkness. That’s what Isaiah tells us: (Is. 60:2) Darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness is over the peoples. There’s a funny thing that happens when you spend a lot of time in darkness. Your eyes begin to adjust. You adapt to the darkness as best you can until you begin to forget how dark it really is. In many ways, we have all become blind to the darkness that permeates every corner of life in this world. Even as we (Job 30:26) hope for good and look for light, darkness and evil impose themselves upon us.

Day after day, we are reminded that darkness blankets our world. We hear of catastrophic flooding and devastating droughts, hurricanes and blizzards, gurgling volcanos and catastrophic earthquakes. Across our world we hear of violence and blood shed. Sabers are being rattled on the battlefield and in cyberspace. The gloom of greed and cultural immorality, widespread disobedience and profound loneliness casts a long shadow for future generations.

But the darkness isn’t relegated to distant shadowy places. There is a darkness in our own homes, in our own lives, and even in our own hearts. Children and adults are feeling overwhelmed. Young people and old are worried about the future. We all have been forced to contend with the shadows of sickness and disease, and the murkiness of subsequent attacks on our mental health. We deal with the gloom of guilt over things we said and did in the past. We worry about the looming darkness of a recession and our own debts. We also recognize that there are times when we give in to our own dark inclinations. The darkness of sin and the shadow of death seem inescapable.

As the prophet Isaiah says: (Is 59:9) We look for light, but all is darkness. We hope for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.

No flashlight or phone app can eradicate this kind of darkness. We cannot find a light that will chase these shadows away. But that light has come. The Lord who is (Is. 60:19) everlasting light has dispersed the darkness of sin and death. Only God can (Job 12:22) bring utter darkness into light. (Micah 7:8) The Lord is our light and he has come to give us light of life and hope and fills our hearts with joy.

During the season of Advent, it is good for us to take a long look down the dark alleyway of the path of wickedness. We need to know where that ends. In eternal condemnation and everlasting darkness.

But we also need to know how we are rescued form that darkness. We did not find our way out. We did not stumble upon a light switch. We did not discover the sun. The Son found us. The Son walked steadfastly in this world of darkness and conquered it. Jesus tells us: (Jn. 12:46) I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

That is why we are filled with joy. The Son of God has defeated the darkness of sin, death, and the devil. He has set us free from the captivity of our guilt and shame. We are no longer trapped in the darkness of wickedness. We are no longer lost in the shadows of our sin. The Lord who rose from the dead has risen upon us. The Lord who brought light into existence with his powerful words has brought life-giving salvation into our hearts with his powerful words.

Here’s what else Isaiah tells us: Isaiah 60:1-2 “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy.

So this Advent season, as we look to the manger and celebrate Christ’s birth and look to the heavens and anticipate Christ’s second coming, let us bask in the light of life, our Lord Jesus Christ, and radiant his light and joy. When we are afraid or anxious, let us reach for the light of life that is found in the Word and Jesus, the Word made flesh. The only thing that can eliminate all our fears is the illuminating glory of the Lord who loves us. And his light has come for us all!