Proverbs 4:18-19

The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over.

I have spent most of my life in towns or cities, which means I have had very little experience of darkness. However, when I lived in a village in India, I found out exactly what it was like. I can recall occasions when I would walk around on our compound without a single clue as to what was in front of me. I would reach out my hands in the hope that I would feel a building or tree before I collided with it. Such complete darkness is very threatening, and it isn’t surprising that the Bible often uses it as a picture of living without God. With none of his light to shine on life’s path, it is certain that a person will spend their life stumbling about, lurching from one danger to the next.

The contrast couldn’t be sharper for the person who walks in God’s way. The righteous person, who deliberately seeks to live their life in step with God, lives in the light. When a person sets off on a life with God, the first gleam of dawn shines on them, and as they walk with God, the brightness continually grows until they are walking in the full light of day. In his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul tells his readers that they are people of the light (Ephesians 5:8). In that passage, he quotes what many scholars think was an early church hymn which might have been sung at a service of baptism: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Because the early Christians lived as a tiny minority amid a sea of immorality and godlessness, they needed to be clear where their light came from. They would face many struggles and difficulties and darkness was never far away, but amid it all, Christ’s light shone on them.

Question

In what specific ways have you experienced God’s light shining on you?

Prayer

Lord God, we worship you because you are the source of light. I invite you to shine your light on my life today. Amen