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Waking up to the darkness, and living in the light
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Waking up to the darkness, and living in the light
A number of years ago I was given the privilege of inflicting untold pain upon a full congregation of worshippers in a thriving church in Florida. Prior to preaching on this Sunday, and to the dismay of an unsuspecting group of devoted believers (mostly, I think), I was allowed to sing a solo! Yep, me. I had not done that before, and certainly have not attempted it since! … many are grateful for this reality, I assure you.
That being so, I was, yet, extremely passionate about my rendition that day, despite my legitimate lack of confidence in or certainty about my talent. I made a loud and joyful noise, emphasis on noise, but it was truly joyful and inspired. My reason for the passion of my performance, you must know, resided in the depth of the truth I was singing about, and the soul transforming efficacy that truth had wrought upon me. The song, one with a resounding theme heard often in churches, and particularly at Christmas, was The People Walking in Darkness Have Seen a Great Light!
The song, uniquely powerful, comes from the following verse in Isaiah 9:2 “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” (NIV)
Even as a young man, who by “worldly” standards had lived a pretty tame time life, one with relatively few “really bad” moral failures; no criminal record, no affairs, no drug use, etc., you get the idea, I had come to understand the deep darkness of Isaiah 9:2 which lurked in my own heart. I sang that day with an abandon that I rarely accessed in my preaching. Given the opportunity to use the medium of song and lyric, my courage was unreasonably heightened, and I gave voice to the greatest truth I have come to know: darkness is real, is seeks to envelope each of us, and the light, His light, the light of God, revealed in Christ Jesus, sets me free to living a life fully lit up. Its a quality of life utterly, vividly, and unquestionably discernible to the soul.
This truth, I say again, is the greatest truth I have ever discovered. People sometimes get annoyed with my compulsion for Christmas music (a compulsion which not too uncommonly will urge me to listen to it, and sing it, even in the middle of summer on occasion), and often ask, “What gives?” or “Don’t you ever get sick of it?” Never! I reply. I cannot imagine, and hope I never begin to imagine, how one should tire of hearing the singularly most important message the world has ever known, sung in the fullness of joy and adoration. To fall asleep to this reality, for me, would be like being trapped in an interior closet of a darkened basement with no light, no warmth, no sound, no life. Its a horrifying existence, I am afraid, far too many live in without recognizing it.
But what is this darkness of which Isaiah speaks? He speaks a darkness which finds its way into the heart of a nation, one specially touched and selected by God Himself, and He speaks of himself, a holy man, a prophet, susceptible to the same darkness. Isaiah draws attention to the great darkness of his own heart and that of the people he serves. Could it be that this darkness relates to us as well? Indeed it does. This is the profound and necessary truth which, once embraced, sets us up for the unfathomably ecstatic message of the light of God revealed in grace, in Christ alone.
Isaiah is not speaking of some general darkness, but rather, he speaks of a personal and intense darkness which shrouds the hearts of people, cultures, and entire nations. The darkness he points to is, by biblical definition and practical reality, anything which is not in keeping with God’s standards of holiness. Let me state that clearly again, for we often miss a realistic and biblical view of darkness. Darkness, as defined by God, and therefore must be accepted by us, is anything which is not in keeping with what God alone says is good, holy, pure, life giving. A soul defined by darkness is a soul separated from God, a soul lost in the visionless forest of sin. That is a life without clarity, brightness, or light.
Let’s work this out in real life. If God has a standard for speech, anything contrary to that standard is thereby “dark”. If God has a standard for sexuality, any manner of lifestyle which is not in keeping with His call to holiness is, yes, “dark”. If God has a standard for honesty, anything not meeting his definition is “dark”. If God has a standard for relationships (romantic, friendship, or otherwise), then any daily practice of living outside of those boundaries is, again, “dark”. If God has a standard for pleasure, a standard for fun, a standard for parenting, a standard for attitude, a standard for alcohol consumption, a standard for finances, a standard for … You get the idea. Some folks, by ignorance, decision, or indecision, embrace the condition of soul darkness and would rather grope in the dark than face God on His terms. Others, some who have inched toward God even, want a piece of Him, yet regularly choose darkened ways of living, thereby robbing themselves of experiencing a soul fully alive and thriving in the light. Both kinds of darkness are to be avoided.
Anything which keeps us from the quality of life God desires for us is akin to groping around in a dark, wild, untamed forest full of mortal dangers (venomous snakes, poisonous spiders, bobcats, quicksand, leech-infested waters, rabid rats, wild boars, …) at every step, all the while thinking we are safe and headed in the right direction. We have no idea how bad off we are because we hear the sounds of others groping in the dark with us, each comforting the others with unrealistic hopes and affirmations, “It will work out somehow.”, “We can’t be that bad off, really.”, “Sooner or later we’ll find our way.”, “This is fun!”, “Whose to say this is not good for us?”, “I don’t regret any of this.”, “It hurts, but we’ll learn from it somehow.”, “It could be worse.”, “I’m o.k., your o.k..just don’t think about it…keep goin.”, “Nobody gonna tell me what to do!”, and, “Its my life! I’m playin by my rules!” The pronouncements are nothing more than ridiculous banter which could not be further from the truth. Such are the nature of our pursuits and lifestyles apart from biblical wisdom. There is no reality, advice, or life-giving direction to be found apart from biblical revelation, God’s truth. God must be our source for direction if we are to have any hope to live a life worth singing about. If our spirits are to leap, we must come out of the forest shrouded by darkness and run into the light of truth.
And oh, how different is the light! The experience of coming to know, truly know Christ, is akin to having been walking in that dark dangerous forest, and to one day have the darkness lifted, to finally see the dangers all around, to feel and fully understand the foolishness and depth of the self-deception, and then to crave, accept, and experience rescue from the situation. As the light grows in intensity, and the pure brilliance of light settles in, the one rescued begins to see more and more of the afflictions they had taken on while stumbling in the darkness. The wounds of the darkened journey begin to appear. The marks where the leeches were feasting become apparent, the fang punctures are seen for what they are, the gangrene (in this case the decay and rotting of soul tissue) is seen for the first time, and the reality of a dead and decaying soul is more vivid than ever. Amidst this reality, this fresh understanding of real life, the eyes of the soul are opened and the heart leaps for joy for the first time in consideration of the hope of a brighter future with vision, security, and protection. Only God, The Rescuer, can bring this kind of hope and salvation. It can’t be found on a self-help shelf, on a TV show, or in another person. He is The Light we seek.
Just as Isaiah’s eyes were opened to the severity of his corrupted condition in Isaiah chapter 6, and just as he came to know the overwhelming grace and forgiveness and newness of God as the vision unfolded, so too, we have the opportunity of living in the reality of the Christmas story every day of our lives. We can be the one the song is about, “Those who were walking in darkness have seen a great light!” A Great Light, indeed!
May we long for the light of Christmas (and this is the symbolism behind all the lights on the houses and trees) to be shed abroad in our hearts and upon our daily lives. May we crave His relational realities, His standards for us, His call for our generosity, His pleasure in our patience, His hope for our moral purity, His thirst for our worship, His smile upon our gentleness, His assurance of our modesty, His joy over our forgiveness, His enthusiasm for our sobriety, His expectation for our reaching out to others, His compulsion for our living in true Christian community, His blessing on our faithfulness, and His love for our walking in the light. May we know Him. May a great light dawn upon our lives this Christmas season.
Isaiah 9:2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.”
Where is your life dark today? Have you asked Him to take all of you and to direct your every step in life? Are your choosing darkness in your relationships? Is your leisure time a bit too dark? Have you tasted the light only to hide in dark places too often? Is your craving for the big lights and festive places of our world darkening your character? Have the darkened hallways of success without boundaries imprisoned you? Has the darkness of stolen waters, adulterous waters, flooded your soul? Has an emotional affair darkened your conscience? Have the years outside the life of the church left you dark and cold of heart? Have poor choices left you and your family darkened by the harshness of failure or collapse? Your only hope, today and always, is in the light.
Moving out of darkness: practical steps
Caught in the cycle of bad relationships? Take God up on His call to be in romantic relationships and primary friendships with those who know Him and walk according to His ways CONSISTENTLY.
Falling in to the same trap of pleasure seeking and sinful patterns? Take God up on His call to long for His statutes and ways. Apply His call to abstain from places and situations which provide temptations to dark things ie. things in contrast to His best, and his standard of holiness. Allow yourself to be tempted in any area enough, the flames will scorch you eventually.
Being tossed to and fro in your thought life? Learn to take the Bible as His truth, revealed to us for life and godliness, our sole source of faith and wisdom. There are many deceiving and dark voices in our culture and world. To be dark it need only lead you away from His absolute truth. Trust in many “truths” is an abandonment of His truth. He is THE WAY.
Trapped by your own emotional lack of control? Pray for and pursue the fruit of the spirit, particularly patience and self-control.
Need clarity on where to go next with your life? Actually seek Him first, above comfort, riches, a hot mate, fun, or ANYTHING else. Actually make Him your central desire in all things. Then seek Godly input (not advice from non-biblically based friends or other sources) from a handful of spirit-led people.
Need unity, peace, bonding in your home? Address the real issues on a deep and open level, open the scriptures, confess your history of non-adherence to them, call all of your family to a fresh pursuit of God, and then work at it daily, openly, and passionately. And extend a healthy share of forgiveness along the way.
Need relief from the darkness of always being desired only for your physicality? Stop presenting yourself in ways which beg that result. Stop placing yourself in settings fueled by sexuality, crudeness, hormones, drink, and the abandonment of self-control.
Do you crave the light of a relationship that offers you encouragement, joy, meaning, depth, assurance, conversation, and spiritual connection? Be a person characterized by those things and then unwaveringly pursue others who meet those desires and who also want and exhibit those same desires.
Want people to view you as a person of substance, intelligence, and source of good advice? Seek, dispense, study, and thirst biblical wisdom, and have your conversation characterized by things that matter rather than the foolishness and darkness and emptiness that characterizes the speech of so many.
Want to know what it means to really feel good about life? Impart goodness, generosity, care, love, and kindness into the lives of others. Be a reflection of Christ; love and serve others with no desire for your own gain, notoriety, or advancement.
Want release from the darkness of addiction? Cut it off! Cold turkey. See the darkness of gambling your paycheck away, see the darkness of viewing men or women as objects of gratification, see the darkness of eating your pain away, see the darkness of buying your pain away. Call it what it is and bring it into the light, share the struggle with a trusted friend or two, and get help. What stays in the darkness grows in the darkness, what is brought into the light find healing in the light.
Want to stop the routine of serial romantic relationships? Shun the darkness of using others to make yourself feel good for a few weeks or months. No matter how many you use or allow to use you, you will never the the hurts of the past, get back at those who damaged you in the past, and you will not bring health to your soul.
Want to find forgiveness from the pain of never measuring up? Realize you never will. And trust that God’s grace and forgiveness is enough. Accept that and live in it.
Want to stop the cycle of abusing others? Come out of the darkness. Deal with your dark anger. Get help. Find restoration. Seek the reforming power of God’s regeneration of the soul.
Whatever your darkness is, there is a way into the light of a new day.
The route from darkness to light runs through the heart of Jesus Christ. Wise men and women still seek Him.
Walk in the light, the Great Light of Christ Jesus!!
Bruce Smith
optimuslife.org
soulstormsite.com
blog.optimuschoice.com
21. December 2009 at 06:56
Good stuff as always. Big Al