Thunder rolled across the Montana prairie in a rage. Ragged lightning flashed across the sky in a wild frenzy–showcasing its dangerous beauty. The wind lashing against the A-frame farmhouse sounded like a train whistle as it hurried through the one-horse town a few miles down the road. Earlier that day, I’d been given the opportunity to stay over with my grandparents and, even as the storm erupted, I remined content. Until the lights went out. Like most children, I was afraid of the dark.

Why It Matters That Jesus is the Light of the World

In some ways, I feel much like the child I was then. I see calamity and chaos rising all around–from consuming fires laying waste to land that stretches from Hawaii to Canada. Flash mobs flooding shopping centers and leaving loss in their wake. The heartache of a broken generation pleading for identity.

Darkness casts a long, broad shadow.

Yet Jesus once said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8:12 NKJV). Scotia, the word translated darkness, refers to spiritual darkness while phós carries the meanings of both the source of spiritual light and saving truth.

When Jesus claimed the title Light of the World, He offered an escape from the unholy ways of a wandering world. A path of freedom. A route to rejoicing.

That moment in the farmhouse sent my young heart crashing against my ribcage. Enveloped by the night, I hurtled toward the safety of my grandfather’s arms. A shudder skittered down my spine as the rattling of tree branches against the windows magnified–every sound and shifting shadow magnified by fear.

“Shhh…., you’re fine. We’re here with you,” my grandpa said. I could hear the smile in his voice as he gently handed me to my grandmother. “I’m going to get something.”

Within a few minutes, a beam of light penetrated the dark. Grandpa tucked one flashlight into my small hands while he held another torch—their rays casting broad arcs of white across the length of the family room. The remainder of the evening, my flashlight and I stayed near my grandfather until my eyelids grew heavy with sleep.

Like a little girl seeking shelter in a storm, we can run to our Father in the darkest of times. When the clouds of calamity gather on the horizon and fear knocks on the door God tenderly whispers, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Then His brilliant light pierces the inkiest gloom. It is in the darkness that His light shines the brightest.

Consider the brilliance of the rays fracturing the endless deep when God’s voice resounded, “Let there be light.” Where moments before only ebony existed, the Almighty spoke and split darkness with a word. His presence penetrates the gloom of hatred, the violence of war, and the slurs of abuse. His glory shines from shadowy mountain clouds gathered at the apex of Mt. Sinai and illuminates the hearts of persecutors—forever altering their lives.

And for those who are in Christ, there is no need to fear the rumblings outside when the One inside us shines bright.

A Prayer for Today

Father, in a world that seems to have lost its way we ask for your strength. You’ve told us to be strong and courageous (Joshua 1:9) because you are our salvation. While people shout malicious words and raise their fists against one another, we ask that you give us hearts of love and that the light of Christ would shine through us. May we be beacons of hope in a hurting world. Amen

Peace and grace,
Tammy

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