Light Enters Darkness
Are you afraid of the dark? According to clinical psychologist, John Mayer, Ph.D., it is very common and an estimated 11 percent of the U.S. population is afraid of the dark well into adulthood. Darkness impairs our vision and we become afraid of things we cannot see or understand. It is helpful to know that you are not alone.
My family, like most, have a routine for our children at bedtime. Part of our routine is making sure there is a nightlight in every corner of the bedroom preventing as many dark areas as possible. My oldest son has been afraid of the dark since he moved out of his crib and into a bed. Being afraid of the dark myself at his age, I understand the difficulty of overcoming this fear. Nearly every night I end up repeating these words in some fashion, “When we are afraid we can trust Jesus to protect us. Whenever you are afraid, get out of your bed and turn on the light. When you turn on the light, darkness always runs away because light and darkness cannot be in the same place at the same time.”
When John says that “the light shines in the darkness,” he is saying that Jesus Christ, is the Light of the World and has entered into the darkness of evil, unbelief, lostness, and death, and this darkness does not overcome Jesus. Later on, in John, we read that Jesus says, “I have come as light into the world so that everyone who believes in me would not remain in darkness.” As believers in Jesus Christ, we have transferred our citizenship from darkness to light. We also read, “While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of the light.” Again, when we believe in Jesus, we are not only leaving the darkness and entering into the light, we are actually joining the family of light as adopted children of the light. Jesus, the Light of the World triumphs over darkness and as heirs in His family we triumph along with Him.
John states, “In him was life, and that life was the light of men.” Well, what is life? The dictionary describes life as a noun and it is what distinguishes humans, plants, and animals from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death. Darkness cannot overcome life because life is living-it has energy, purpose, growth, and reproduction. An active light is not a static light to be ignored, but an army of consuming light that conquers everything in its path. As offspring of the author of Creation, we are children of the light ready to raid the darkness of the world because we know that Jesus, the Light of the World has already overcome it-and because of his glory and his victory, darkness will not overcome us. So this is why we believe that Jesus is…
“The light [that] shines in the darkness, and yet [as Creator of all things] the darkness [does] not overcome [him].” John 1:5
I often repeat the very words I tell my son at bedtime to myself, when I am afraid, confused, or overwhelmed, I choose to trust Jesus to expose the darkness for what it is and demand it to flee, because as a child of light, darkness has no hold on me. Darkness only exists in the absence of light-God let my life be filled with the light of men.
Scripture:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through him, and apart from him, not one thing was created that has been created. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it.”
— John 1:1-5 (CSB)
Jesus answered, “The light will be with you only a little longer. Walk while you have the light so that darkness doesn’t overtake you. The one who walks in darkness doesn’t know where he’s going. While you have the light, believe in the light so that you may become children of light.”
— John 12:35-36 (CSB)
“I have come as light into the world so that everyone who believes in me would not remain in darkness.” — John 12:46 (CSB)
Prayer:
Father of Light,
I thank You that you are never overcome by darkness. Even the darkest night is a bright as the brightest day to You. Thank You that You promise Your Spirit to walk alongside us so we are not alone when darkness tries to overwhelm and draw us away from You. Thank You for sending Your son Jesus to live the life we were supposed to live, and dying the death we were condemned to die. It is in his death and resurrection that death and darkness were defeated. Believing this truth, I am Your child resting in Your arms and shining brightly as a child of light for all to see.
