Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace. Luke 1:78-79

 

If you’re awake in the dark hours of the night, nothing is more welcome than the dawn.

In its creation account, Scripture tells that the first thing God did was to utter the words, “‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (Genesis 1:3). In the dark voids of our personal lives, how we too long for light.

The writer C.S. Lewis reimagined the story of God creating light in a children’s book. He wrote, “In the darkness something was happening at last. A voice had begun to sing [from] very far away …it was, beyond comparison, the most beautiful noise…so beautiful [one] could hardly bear it…The eastern sky changed from white to pink and from pink to gold. The Voice rose and rose, till all the air was shaking with it. And just as it swelled to the mightiest and most glorious sound it had yet produced, the sun arose.”[1] (excerpted)

Today as we peer into an unknown future, we long for light for our paths, for those we love and for our world. To the Giver of light we cry, “Yes, let there be light!” And here’s the amazing news for us: Scripture says that “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it” (John 1:5). Jesus is that light. The life of following Jesus still contains the shadowy days and dark nights of this world, but His followers are never without the light of His presence. Scripture promises, “Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace'” (Luke 1:78-79).

[1] Webber, Jill. Lectio355. “24-7 Prayer, Version 1.8.10, December 4, 2023. www.24-7prayer.com.