'How far that little candle throws his beams!' Shakespeare

Light is remarkable. A few weeks ago I stayed in a little hut by the beach, with no electricity. At night, in the middle of the sand dunes, the darkness was so deep that I could hardly make out my own hands in front of me.

Yet striking a single match threw light round the room, and allowed what was hidden to be seen. It is astonishing that a flickering lick of flame, accosted by draughts, is able to cling stubbornly to a candle wick, insisting on blinking out shards of light into a room full of darkness.

John tells us that ‘God is light; in him there is no darkness at all’ (1 John 1:5). The bible often uses the imagery of light to help us understand more of God’s character and to teach us how to live as ambassadors for Christ.

Out of darkness

‘For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness”, made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ’ (2 Cor 4:6).

‘Let light shine out of darkness’: this command surprises me every time. Logically, light should not be able to shine out of darkness. It should shine into darkness, from light. And yet there seems to be some kind of transaction going on, where darkness is converted into light.

God has the power to command darkness to turn into light. When you turn a light on, darkness does not get pushed into the corners of the room. Instead it disappears. It is transformed into light. This speaks volumes of God’s character – of His ability to transform situations in our lives. He can turn around every situation we are facing that is dark, and make it light. He can transform the parts of our character that don’t reflect Him, so that we shine for Him instead. Where there is pain, and where there is an absence of God, He can turn that around. Darkness can be converted into light. In the psalms it says:

‘You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning. My God turns my darkness into light’ (Psalm 18.28).

The light of the world

‘You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.’ (Matt 5:14-16).

Christians are ambassadors for Jesus, presenting His light to those around us, that they might get to know Him. Light, by its very nature, projects and does not hide. As the passage suggests, it would be absurd to put a lamp under a bowl. It would stop a lamp performing its very function.

If we believe that we are ‘the light of the world’, then we need to stop living ‘under a bowl’, and be prepared to publically project our faith – through word and deed.

Are we prepared to live on a ‘stand’, or ‘on a hill’? Are we willing to live openly? 

Is there anything we need to change in our lifestyles so that our thoughts, words and actions point towards God? 

Are there any ‘dark’ situations or places that you could shine into this week?