From Darkness to Light

2 Corinthians 4:6
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

In the beginning there was darkness, and deep was that darkness. Confusion like a morning fog hung thick over the colorless landscape. A stubborn emptiness occupied every vacant space. Fear thundered in the distance and grew like a storm that couldn’t yet be seen but was doubtless about to break loose. Every shadow harbored a secret. The blinding darkness was better than vision if seeing meant beholding what was there. Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

It may surprise you to discover that the deathly place I have been describing was not a place on earth but a place in me. You see, I’m not speaking of earth’s creation, but of my conversion. That lifeless wasteland, stretching as far as the imagination could see, was my own heart. In the beginning darkness was all I knew and therefore all I wanted. Quite frankly, I loved the darkness, because my deeds were evil. However, God’s goodness was greater than my badness. The Genius of Genesis was not content to let me dwell alone in my self-constructed cell. He was determined to bring me out of my darkness and into His marvelous light.

At six years old, God whispered into my little universe, “Let there be light,” and suddenly there was light. The Apostle Paul describes the dawn in his soul like a bolt of lightning falling from a cloudless sky. My experience was more like a gentle sunrise slowly climbing up heaven’s eastern wall. That one Son-rise changed every subsequent sunset. In that moment the day dawned; and the Son’s been getting brighter ever since.

It didn’t take me long to discover my darkness couldn’t share quarters with His Light. Light by its very nature can’t be contained. It finds its way into every dark crevice; it spreads into the smallest recess of every shadowed corner. Often is exposes the dirt I didn’t even know was there. Yet, somehow, even when it reveals the dust that I would rather leave hidden, it does it in a comforting and constructive way. The same Light that continually drives away the darkness warms the air it leaves behind. When it shines in my heart, it melts away the icicles that grow on the ledges of my soul. All I can say is, I’m thankful for the light He gave that led me to the Light I love.

From Light to Darkness

2 Corinthians 4:7
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

It’s easy to comprehend a sunrise; it’s well-nigh impossible to grasp the sun being placed in a flowerpot. Yet, that is exactly what God did in the heart of every true believer when He said, “Let there be light.” He didn’t just bring us out into the light—He sent the Light to live in us. This is a wonder beyond comprehension but not beyond belief. We know the Light has come to dwell in us because of the fruit He now produces through us.

In the beginning, before God said let the land produce fruit, He first said let the land have light. Without the sun’s energy, fruit cannot grow. Therefore, fruit is a product of light. The Light in us proves His presence by producing fruit through us. It is not just that we were once blind, but now we see; no, it is also that we were once bare, but now, because of the Light, we are abounding.

The Light He put in us now shines through us. He is the Light of the world, but He has chosen us to be His lights in the world. We have been given the privilege of carrying the light that carried us out of the darkness back into the darkness. As He once spoke, “Let there be light,” we are now commissioned to shine light into every crevice and remote corner of the kingdom of darkness.

When the darkness resists our advance, it should neither surprise nor alarm us. The day is as incomprehensible to the children of the night as sight is to a man born blind. Yet of this we are sure, the darkness has not and will not overcome the Light.

Darkness never has power over light, but light always has power over darkness.

Soon the darkness will be driven out, never to return, but the light of the risen Son will never set. The Light that He is, and the light that He gives, will never grow dim or go out. The glory of the Son will shine so brightly on His new earth no other light will be needed. He will Himself be our constant source of clean energy. Literally, He will power the world with nothing more than His own presence.

If we house this unquenchable flame in vessels of clay, it only seems logical to conclude that it will shine out somewhere. It is with confidence in the Light dwells in us we boldly and creatively declare to the darkness, “Let there be light.” We have this treasure in earthen vessels so that all glory may be given to the Light and none to the lamp.

-Pastor Benjamin Webb