#14 WHEN THE LIGHTS GO DOWN 8-21-26
There is something unsettling about darkness. We are comfortable when the lights are on. We can see where we are going. We can recognize what is around us. But when the lights go down, everything changes. Even familiar places can suddenly feel strange. Journey captured something of that feeling in the song “Lights,” imagining the lights of the city as a symbol of home, distance, and longing. We understand that feeling because every human heart longs for a light that darkness cannot overcome.
The Bible begins with God speaking light into darkness. “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3). It ends with a city where there is no need for the sun or moon because the glory of God illuminates it, and the Lamb is its light (Revelation 21:23). Between those two scenes runs the story of redemption. The Bible is a story about God bringing people out of darkness and into His marvelous light.
There is illumination. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). Light reveals what darkness conceals. It shows us who God is, and it shows us who we really are. The Word of God is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105). Sometimes we do not need God to give us a different road. We simply need Him to turn the light on so we can see the road we are already walking.
There is separation. Light and darkness cannot remain comfortable together. “What fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14). When Christ enters our lives, He does not merely make darkness more comfortable. He calls us out of it. “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8). The coming of light creates a separation between what we were and what God calls us to become.
There is incarnation. The greatest light did not remain distant from us. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The Light came into our darkness. Jesus did not shout instructions from heaven and leave us to find our own way. He came down. He walked our roads. He entered our world. He experienced hunger, weariness, rejection, sorrow, and suffering. The Light of the world stepped into the darkness of our world so that those trapped in darkness could see the glory of God.
There is destination. The light is taking us somewhere. Peter said that God called us “out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). We are not wandering aimlessly through the night. We are headed toward home. And when we finally arrive, there will be no more night. “There shall be no night there” (Revelation 22:5). The journey ends where the darkness ends.
And there is exaltation. The One who came as the Light will one day be openly glorified before all creation. “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow” (Philippians 2:10). The world that once rejected Him will one day see Him in His glory. The Christ who was despised will be exalted. The One who came quietly into Bethlehem will one day fill heaven and earth with His glory.
So when the lights go down, do not be afraid. There is a Light that darkness cannot extinguish. When you cannot see the road, trust the One who can. When God exposes something in your heart, do not run from the light. Let Him change you. When the journey seems long, remember the destination.
One day the lights of every earthly city will go dark. Buildings will fall. Streets will empty. Human achievements will fade. But the Light of Christ will never go out.
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Lord, shine Your light upon our hearts. Lead us out of darkness, keep us walking in Your light, and help us remember that we are headed toward a city where there will be no night. May the Christ who came into our darkness be exalted in our lives until the day we see His glory face to face. Amen.
BDD
