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“For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of the Son He loves...” Colossians 1:13
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9
The world we live in seems to be growing darker by the day. If you’ve been living on this planet for long enough, you’ve seen how broken it really is.
Human hearts have been ripped apart and our culture is shattering before our very eyes.
A thick cloud of darkness has covered the eyes of many. Minds are in utter chaos, as they struggle to make sense of the evil that is running rampant in our times.
Isaiah 60:2 describes it perfectly, “Behold, darkness covers the earth and a thick darkness the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and His glory appears over you!”
Many Christians are discouraged by the veil of midnight that is covering this world. It’s repulsive and unsettling! The news headlines are shocking and the bad reports just keep coming. The days we are living in are marred with blood, shootings, scandals, and tragedies. It leaves us feeling shocked, but should we really be surprised?
We have an enemy and he isn’t lounging around eating potato chips and Twinkies. He has actively come to “Steal, kill, and destroy.” He knows that his time is short, and he needs to make the most of it.
But why are we, the chosen and anointed people of God, sitting on our holy couches, drinking lattes and shaking our heads in discouragement? Many Christian feel hopeless, knowing that the end is near and the hardships are only going to get worse.
Yes, Jesus is coming soon. We must always be prepared for His return. But is it possible that sometimes we use the promise of Heaven and the whimsical dream of His gallivant return, as an excuse for us to not care about the current state of brokenness that our world is in?
In case you can’t tell already, this is going to be one of those articles that shakes and wakes every apathetic bone in your body. The purpose of this writing is not for us as Christians to feel guilty and condemned, but rather be awakened and alert, hearing the trumpet call to war!
Yes, it is dark, but there is always a “but.” Jesus is the “but”! He is the game changer, story-ender, and exclamation mark bringer.
“Behold, darkness covers the earth and a thick darkness the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and His glory appears over you!”
When the darkness gets darker, that is simply an opportunity for the light to get brighter. Nobody needs a lamp when it is bright outside. The purpose of a glow stick is never revealed in the daytime. It must be black as midnight in order to shine. God has created you to illuminate from within, and then He will place you on a lampstand in the midst of a dark and crooked generation.
Isn’t it interesting, that in order for a glow stick to shine, it must first be broken?
It’s as if the Spirit of God is running through the streets, knocking on the doors of every believer’s heart, crying out “Wake up! Wake up! Rise and shine! It’s dark, but that’s why I need you to go outside and be the light!”
The broken and shattered state of our world is devastatingly overwhelming. At least, it is when we think that we must fix it with our own clever ideas and human power. For far too long, we have felt as though we must be the “light” in our own strength. We’ve measured the possibility of our lives by the dinky measuring tape of our human ability. Meanwhile, the Spirit of the Living God (the same Spirit who raised Jesus Christ from the dead!) longs to do this thing with us! He longs to work in and through us. He desires for us to view impossible challenges as amazing opportunities for His mind-blowing power and love to be on display!