Let it shine!

The theme of light and darkness is more frequently taken up during the Christmas period than in springtime, but I just love the light here in the northeast of Scotland at this time of year. Particularly the late afternoon light, as the sun begins to head west and sends long golden rays to bathe us in a warm glow. 

Days are stretching out, like a bear waking from hibernation; nights are shorter. 

Every day we are inundated with news of further horrors and brutalities committed near and far. 

Darkness would appear to prevail but no, don’t you believe it. The light has come into the world – Jesus – and the darkness will never overcome it. We need to pray with hope in our hearts and faith in our powerful God. We need to keep our eyes on him and trust in his unfailing love. We need to walk close to him, know him better day by day, and learn to rest and refresh and renew ourselves in him.

It is a battle which is raging right now – not just the physical fighting going on in Syria and Iraq and Ukraine but the spiritual struggle between light and darkness, good and evil. 

Jesus vanquished evil on the cross. What he did was not just for us as individuals to live happily ever after with him; it was so that his Kingdom can come, and his will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

May that be the prayer on your lips and in your heart today as we press on and press in to God, totally dependent on him and filled with hope and expectation for the future. Those who walk in the darkness are desperate to see the light that shines from Jesus through his believers. Let it shine.

Hope springs eternal

‘Hope springs eternal’ was a favourite phrase of my mother-in-law, usually said in relation to a raffle or lottery ticket. 

In our world of conflict and spreading darkness, hope is a mind-set in short supply. I hear people expressing fears about the outcome of the conflict in Ukraine, whether it will draw us all into an Armageddon scenario. The news jerks from one nation under siege and in a failing way to another. World leaders wring their hands, make pronouncements, but after the disastrous interventions of recent years are reluctant to do more than impose sanctions. Indeed, what can they do?

They could do as King Hezekiah did several thousand years ago, when the threat came from Nineveh and he knew his own small country hadn’t the power to resist an all out attack. He went to God. He threw himself on his knees before God and asked that God would intervene on their behalf. And God did.

In these days when a black tsunami seems to be gaining momentum, power, and is headed our way, as a Christian I place my hope and trust in the Prince of Peace and the Light of the World. I call on Jesus to penetrate the darkness with the light of his truth and to speak the words of power which he uttered on the Sea of Galilee, ‘Peace, be still’. I expect to see the approaching tsunami collapse, subside, and for peace to be restored.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. God does not want us to crouch in fear but to walk in faith. He is an Almighty Father, a powerful Lord, whose very essence is love. Put your trust in him today, and stay alert to notice the differences that makes to the smaller tsunamis in your life.