“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” (1st Peter 2:9)
The difference in a life lived without God, and a life lived through him is like the difference between night and day.
Many years back I was an associate pastor in charge of the youth program. Our meetings were on the third floor of a dated building. As I was closing up one Sunday night, my two preschool children and I were the last ones out. I don’t know who designs light switch locations in churches, but they don’t make sense. The hallway lights had already been turned off by someone else, and I was turning off the youth room lights. That put the three of us in the dark, and I realized that the only hallway light switch was at the far end of the hall.
The idea of walking down that dark hallway to the stairs at the other end was not appealing to my kids, because it was very dark outside that night. I pointed out that through the window at the far end where we were going there was a faint streetlight in the distance. We held hands and made it to the other end by focusing on that tiny light.
I’m sure you’ve used the saying about “being in the dark” about something, meaning that there is information that we don’t know or is being withheld from us. This information seems to us to be very important to have.
All light comes from God. If your world is dark at the moment, ask God to shine the light. This could require action on your part as well. Because of where you are in life, it may seem like just a faint light at the end of a long hall, but it is there. God has lots of light shining, but often we don’t want to go where he shines it. We want him to shine it “where I say to shine it.”
There is a way to live in the dark and wonder why there’s no light. Many people do that … no time for church, faith, prayer, study, fellowship, mission projects, family, etc. Yet, God is shining the light in those activities. We should head toward the light God is shining, rather than fretting about the dark where we’re sitting. Today’s verse says that God has “called us out of darkness” and “into his marvelous light.” The implication here, when it says he is “calling us out of darkness” is that we have to move toward the light. And when we come into his light, it is “marvelous”!
Blessings,
Chaplain Mark