Daily Devotions
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12
Last time I visited with some of my grandchildren I noted that they didn’t want to go down and play in their very nice, very finished basement.
Some of the things they said, things like, “It’s dark, it’s scary, it’s cold. I don’t like to be down there alone,” rang a bell for me … a memory bell. You see, almost 30 years ago their mother had said the same thing about going down to our basement.
The children know that even though we live in a world filled with all kinds of light, there are places which remain dark, scary and cold. There are places where we just don’t want to go alone.
That was also true for the little boy who heard his Sunday school teacher say, “Jesus is the Light of the world.” Like most children, that boy took his teacher’s remark quite literally. After class, he said to her, “If Jesus really is the Light of the world, I wish He’d come hang out in my basement. It’s awful dark down there.”
Those remarks by the children got me to thinking. After a while I concluded that even though basements may no longer be dark and scary to adults, most of us do have places which seem to be frightening — you know — places where we don’t want to be alone.
On your “scary place” list might be the hospital or the nursing-home or your move to a new community. There are a lot of places that remain dark for us.
If that’s true for you, I’ve got good news: Jesus is the Light of this sin-darkened world. More than that, Jesus who was crucified and rose from the dead — this living Jesus — is hanging around in the dark places of your life.
Yes, you will find Him in church on a Sunday morning, and you most certainly will see Him bringing light in Bible studies. Where you need Him the most is in your dark places, your frightening places.
And if you’re saying, “I don’t see Him,” don’t worry, He’s there. To see Him all you need do is allow the Holy Spirit to let you see with eyes of faith rather than fear. If you do, your dark places will be brighter and your fears will be dimmer. How could it not be? Hasn’t Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world, and all who follow me will walk in light and not darkness.”
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, come to all the dark places of my life so the darkness may be scattered and I may walk in Your Light. This I ask in Your Name. Amen.