The Light

     "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1)
     What profound, unsearchable words about The Word.  The beginning--the beginning before there was a beginning, before time and space.  Before days and hours and moments.  Before sun and light and air--God was and is, eternally present, eternally powerful, eternally the great I Am.  You just can't even put your mind around it, can you?
     When our minds are in turmoil or our world seems crazy, He is there, from the very beginning, from before the beginning, and He is here right this very moment. Whatever you are dealing with, wherever you are, He is here, He is there--perfect, present, powerful.  Not diminished one iota, not one bit weaker or less miraculously active and omnipotent than He was when He created the vast heavens and the miraculous earth.  Not one jot or tittle different or debilitated in any way from when He became flesh and dwelt among us and revealed God's glory to a desperate world. (John 1:14)
     He was and is and forever will be the Light of the World.  "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." (John 1:4-5)  Have you noticed that even the tiniest, weakest light can overcome darkness?  Seriously, I was talking with one of my children about this the other day.  Even a flickering, faltering little candle when lit in a dark room chases back the darkness.  Sure, it may not light up the whole room, but when even the teensiest light is lit, darkness flees!  Darkness is mighty dark--it amazes me sometimes when we lose electricity how dark it really is.  But light a candle, turn on a flashlight, and that light overcomes the darkness.  Light will always overcome darkness... every single time.
     And He is the Light of the world that shines in a dark world, in our dark worlds, and the darkness will never ever overcome Him.  He proved that at the cross... and the empty tomb.
     So why do we live as if He cannot overcome the dark places in our lives?
     When I worry and wring my hands over whatever is currently occupying the dark places in my life, I'm forgetting who He is and what He has done and what He is doing and what He will do.  But if I will just allow His light to penetrate the darkness of my fear, of my pride, of my selfishness, well, then, darkness flees.  Christ will always prevail, for He is Lord, but we have to keep Him on the throne in our hearts and our lives. That means worshipping Him.  That means renewing our minds in the Word, His Word.  That means making much of Him rather than much of me and my little worries.
      To weaken the grip of worry, worship the God of glory.
      The more we magnify God, the more we minimize fear.
      And the more we focus upon how great our God is, the more we will experience His peace and hope and joy in glorious abundance.   The more we let in His light, for He is the Light and His Word is light, the more that darkness of fear--fear of failure, fear of pain, fear of loss--flees from our lives.  Sure, we and our loved ones will still fail.  We will still experience loss and pain.  But the fear, that deadly paralyzing enemy of fear, will be destroyed as the Light overwhelms it and gives us peace and power and joy in the midst of it all.
     I love what Ann Voscamp wrote: "Why be afraid of anything--when our God is using everything?"  Our God is sovereign and omnipotent, and everything, everything, everything passes through His all-powerful hands.  His nail-scarred hands of perfect love and grace.  So if He allows it, He will use it for our good and His glory.  And His light will overcome the darkness.  Well then, "why be afraid--when our God is using everything?!"
     Lord, help us this day to renew our minds in Your Word, for Your Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our paths.  (Ps.119:105) O how we need Your Light!  Light our paths, Lord.  Help us to trust You even when the way ahead seems dark.  Because You are there already and Your light will always always always overcome the darkness.  Might we this day weaken the grip of worry as we worship the God of glory.   And to the Light of the World, the God of glory, be all the glory.