Darkness and Light

Darkness and Light

God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.

‭‭1 John‬ ‭1:5‬ ‭NCV‬

Moses asked to see God’s glory, the Lord answered that no one can look upon His face and live (Exodus 33:18-20). Paul encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus, he was blinded by a light from heaven that flashed all around him (Acts 9:1-18).  Have you ever tried gazing at the sun directly for any duration of time? Our eyes are very sensitive organs, and prolonged exposure to sunlight can lead to cataract or even blindness. The brightest light we have ever seen is sunlight. Yet just as we need the sun to live productive lives, we need to bask in God’s goodness and mercy, to grow in faith and live fruitful lives. Light brings out the beauty of people and all things bright and beautiful we see around us. Paul says in Ephesians 5:14, “For it is light that makes everything visible.” So also God’s light brings growth and fruit in our spiritual lives.

The darkest place I have ever been to are the underground limestone caves, where you get to see beautiful formations of stalagmites and stalactites. As we descend into these caves, sunlight gets cut off, complete darkness plummets the caves, our minds start to play frightening tricks on us. We stick as close as possible to the guide who is taking us to see the beauty of these caves, because we fear one step in the wrong direction could lead us into a maze that could disorient us in the soggy and pitch dark corridors of the cave. Most normal humans fear the underground and getting lost in absolute darkness, cut off from the guidance of the sun, moon and stars. So it is in our walk of faith when we descend into the darkness of doubts, distrust, suspicion, and lack of confidence in God, there is no way for God's light to come into our lives.  

What do we do when our doubts overshadow our faith in God? Where do we turn when the dimness of our imperfections or our understanding of God is eclipsed in darkness? In the Gospel of  Mark 9:14-29, Jesus heals a demon possessed child. His disciples tried hard to heal the child. But were fruitless and failed. 

Eventually the Father begs Jesus to heal the child if he can. To which he said, “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark‬ ‭9:23-24‬). In the father's eyes he saw his child who had lived in the clutches of darkness mentally, emotionally and physically, mangled by demonic forces tearing his life apart. Yet when Jesus asked him if he believed, all he could say was, yes I do believe, but Lord forgive my unbelief that has blinded me all these years.

This prayer of the father stands even today as a prayer when we are overwhelmed with doubts to say and meditate on. “Lord I believe, help me overcome my unbelief.” It is amazing how, later Jesus told his disciples the reason why they couldn’t heal the child was, “This kind can come out only by prayer” (Mark‬ ‭9:29‬). Jesus is the light of the world, the very image of God in human form, in whom there is no darkness at all. Yet Jesus lived in daily prayer and fellowship with God the Father. 

What is faith and how do we build trust and confidence in God? Faith is the substance of things we hope for, and the evidence of things not seen. It is impossible to see the goodness and mercy of God unless we believe that he exists (Hebrews 11:1-6). What do we do when our doubts overshadow our faith in God? We turn our eyes from the darkness of our doubts and gaze into the light of God’s glory. Just like the sun rises every day, so should we faithfully pray everyday, turning our eyes from the darkness of our slumber and opening our eyes of faith to see the glory of God. Let the rays of Faith shine into our hearts and minds lighting them up and bringing healing to all our doubts and fears. God will guide us through the ever winding roads of our lives, drawing us closer and closer to his very presence. The Darkness of Doubt make way for the Rays of Faith to build powerful trust in God. We say to ourselves with confidence and meditate on the words of Jesus to the struggling Father, “Everything is possible for one who believes.”and in response we also say, “Lord I believe, help my unbelief.”

Let us walk in the light of the LORD. Isaiah 2:5