These days, it takes a strong person to watch the news and remain hopeful. It’s a good thing that isn’t where our hope lies! With talk of global warming, pandemics, economic pressures, increasing crime rates, the chipping away of our liberties, not to mention the increased persecution of believers all over the world, it is easy to become discouraged.
We are tempted to ask, “what will life be like for our children and grandchildren if things are this bad now?” We can get so focused on the dark that is getting darker, we can forget that our hope is in the Light of the World. He isn’t worried that the evil seems to be increasing around us. He already knows what we will face as a body of believers, as a nation and as individuals.
It seems that everyone I know is struggling with difficult circumstances. It may seem like these difficulties are increasing. Maybe they are. Maybe it truly is getting “darker.”
But if it is, we should really be glad. Yes, I said glad. Think for a moment about our first reaction when the power goes out. Maybe a storm knocks out the power late in the evening and everything in your house and neighborhood goes completely black. What is the first thing you do? Look for a flashlight, find the candles and matches. You search for a source of light to overcome the darkness.
That is what God desires in our world. As the darkness gets darker, people will search for the light. We can help them find it. We can rise above our own circumstances, become vessels of God’s light, and share it with those around us. We may be going through difficult times, but when others see our light shine in spite of our circumstances, they will be encouraged to find the source of that light for themselves.
Someday we won’t need to shine our light. Someday we will be in God’s presence where there is no darkness at all. But for now, when the news is bad, when hope seems elusive, you can be part of the answer. Just hold your candle higher.
“But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know over what they stumble.” – Proverbs 4:18-19