A Candle in the Window

Jesus said, 

"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid." (Matthew 5:14)

Our world is dark, no question, and we have plenty of opportunity to shine for Christ. I love the picture He uses in this passage to illustrate just how visible we should be. 

As a teen, I caught my first glimpse of Seattle as we made an early-morning airport run. It was still pitch dark out, and I had never seen so many lights all at once! It was a spectacular sight, even from the freeway, miles away. Seeing all that light after hours of driving along the dark freeway was so refreshing!

But imagine with me a city, way up on a hilltop and filled with lights, as Seattle was that dark morning. The city shines so brightly, and gleams so warmly, we can't help but be drawn to it.  The thought of reaching the city and living life enfolded by that hopeful brightness inspires us to begin to walk towards it.

Now, imagine that the power goes out suddenly. The city is plunged into darkness, and from our view in the valley, it looks like the city has completely disappeared. There is now nothing but darkness, and however much we strain our eyes to discern the city against the skyline, we cannot. It seems as if the entire city has been wiped off the face of the earth, and we feel that the warmth and brightness we sought has been irretrievably lost.

We stand still for a while, wondering what to do next. Then, someone at the edge of town puts a single candle in their window. From deep in the valley, we look up and wonder: is that really a light? It flickers and glows a little stronger. Yes, now we can tell that there is light up there. It's not just a trick of the eye. The flicker we see is the flicker of a candle, and somewhere behind that candle is a person --a person who is not fumbling around in the darkness, but sitting in the warm glow of the candle's light while the darkness covers everywhere else.

With so much darkness around us, it can be easy to feel like there's been a major power outage. But the truth is, we are not a power grid to be shut off, but a collection of individual candles, each one carefully shielded from the world's attempts to blow it out.

The world's counterfeit sources of light: prosperity, health, wealth, peace, and safety have all become widely unpredictable this year. It's as if 2020 has pulled the plug on everything the world was working towards. There is widespread darkness, hopelessness, and fear. 

But just as a single candle burning in a window can be seen further the darker it gets, just one Christian walking in the light can make a difference. Look what Jesus says:

"Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."  (5:15-16)

Our light doesn't just illumine our own life, it lights the way for others, drawing the weary ones in the valley to the bright and hopeful glow of Christ. 

So, even when it feels like yours is the only window in the city with a candle shining, remember that even one can make a difference.

"This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all" I John 1:5

Shining in the Darkness

Our world is in chaos. Some are sick, even dying, others are facing another month of unemployment, wondering how they will pay their bills. Many are isolated from those dearest to them. As summer nears, the sun shines bright and warm and the days grow longer, but the world still feels immersed in darkness.

I am reminded of the passage in Exodus 10, where God brought the plague of darkness upon the Egyptians. It was a supernatural darkness, a darkness unlike any they had experienced before. The Bible says it was "darkness which may be felt". The land was covered with "thick darkness", but notice the difference between the Israelites' homes and the homes of the Egyptians:

"They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings"

Exodus 10:23 

The world around them was dark, the people isolated and afraid, yet the darkness couldn't touch God's people. 

This may seem like a dark time to those around us, but in reality, the light of God's goodness, sovereignty, love, mercy, and every other attribute of God is still shining, for God does not change. He is not hindered by any part of our current crisis. He is still at work, still powerful, still loving.

"If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from Thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to Thee."

Psalm 139:11-12

Nothing --not even the darkness of a world thrown into crisis-- can come between us and the love of God. As Romans 8:38-39 states,

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

When the world looks dark to you, look to Christ, for He is the Light of the world. In fact, I John 1:5 says,

"This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all."

It is only in our relationship with God that we can keep the darkness at bay. While others wallow in hopelessness and depression, we can confidently live in hope, joy, and the certainty that God will use all this for good. After all, in God there is "no darkness at all".

But we aren't just supposed to keep this light to ourselves. Unlike the Israelites so long ago, we are not just to enjoy the light, but to shine it into the lives of others. In Matthew 5:16 Jesus commands us:

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

The darker the world seems to those around us, the more they realize their need of the light, and the more opportunity there is for radiating the light of Christ into the darkness of those around us.

So how does God want you to shine your light into someone's darkness today?