‘For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.’ – Ephesians 5:8 (NIV)

Impenetrable Darkness – written by Ali Chambers, MAF UK

Have you experienced real darkness? Have you been out in the countryside far from a town or a city on a cloudy, moonless night? It’s quite hard to visualise in the UK because we have so much light pollution – but it’s not truly dark. I did, however, experience total darkness a couple of months ago – I was staying with my parents-in-law who live in Derbyshire; I went down into one of the Blue John caves in the Peak District. You go with a guide through the cave system and, at about halfway in, they turn the lights off for a few seconds. It’s the strangest sensation because your eyes are desperately trying to adjust, but there is no light. You feel totally blind.

The darkness can never extinguish it…

All you have to do is light a match, something really small, and darkness disappears. As Christians, we know that the darkness is not very powerful. John 1:5 tells us, ‘The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.’ Not even a single flickering flame falters because of the darkness surrounding it.

The only power that darkness has is in a space without light. When the light comes, the darkness retreats, and we can see things as they actually are. Darkness has no power to extinguish even the faintest of lights, but we can fan a single flame into a roaring fire. We can spread this light by embracing it, and by becoming lights ourselves.

Live as children of light…

What makes us light is not what we do, but the fact that we have the light of the world – Jesus Christ – living in us. Christ is the light that shines in the darkness, the true light that has come to enlighten all people. John 12:36 says, ‘While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of the light.’ When we believe in Christ, not only do we leave the darkness and enter the light, but we also join the family of the light.

Our Scripture for today, Ephesians 5:8 says, ‘For you were once darkness.’ I find that really powerful – it doesn’t say that we lived in darkness or that darkness surrounded us. It says that we were darkness, but the verse goes on to say, ‘but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.’ When we allow the light of Christ into our lives, we can embrace it, we can set ourselves alight with it, and we can shine hope into the lives of anyone else who is seeking it.

And that’s what MAF, this amazing organisation, does. You may not be flying the aircraft, fitting the engines or managing the flight plans, but you can still shine the light into far-flung places. MAF are with the Lord, so the light shines from within them. Will you let your light shine from within you?

I’m gonna let my little light shine…

I was sitting at the back of a church recently, while my daughter Bella was in her choir rehearsal, and I was tapping away on my computer writing this devotion. They’d spent most of the practice doing Advent and Christmas carols, but then something really strange happened. I was trying to find a good way to end it, and I honestly believe the Lord was at work because I heard the final song they were practising…

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine,

Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

1.     How can we ensure we always show the light of God within us to others?

2.     What could you be doing to shine that light into a dark situation you or someone you know may be facing?

God, with You there is no darkness. With You, there are no shadows. Yet, in our broken world, we see so much darkness around us. Bring Your light and restoring presence to the dark places in our lives. Bring Your hope to hearts that feel defeated. Bring Your love and compassion to those in people who do not yet know You and who yearn for hope and meaning in their lives.

Lord, light our lamps and illuminate our darkness, and may Your light of hope shine in the darkness.

We thank You that You are the light of the world, and we pray that our light will shine so that we may glorify Your holy name.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

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