Letting Our Light Shine

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord shines over you. For look, darkness covers the earth, and total darkness the peoples; but the Lord will shine over you, and His glory will appear over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your radiance." (Isaiah 60:1-3, HCSB)

We have been in many dark places in West Africa, literally and spiritually. In one sense, the darkness is attractive - on a clear night with no moon you can see stars that you never knew existed. Yet on a cloudy night with no moon, you can easily get lost if you wander too far from "camp." Several student volunteers have confessed to wandering about in the dark looking to rejoin the rest of their team after venturing too far away on a moonless night. West Africans, however, have grown up in the dark. They have become accustomed to it. Not only can they easily find their way around in the dark, but they also carry out normal daytime activities - such as meal preparation - with limited or no light.

Likewise, with Satan's blinding, millions of West Africans have become accustomed to their spiritual darkness. They believe that their circumstances are caused by the spirits, and they spend their energy (and money) appeasing these spirits. In some cases, they have never encountered a believer in the Light of the world. Others remain in spiritual darkness because they prefer it; they believe Satan's lies when he says that darkness is better than light.

God promises not only that we will be light, but that people will be attracted to it and will come out of the darkness. Sometimes I wonder if our light is simply not shining brightly enough. One Friday we had some colleagues over for lunch. While we were talking, their four-year-old was singing "This Little Light of Mine" at the top of his lungs on the front porch. Perhaps we hide our light from the world - we are embarrassed by it and what others might think. Maybe we are using a low-wattage bulb that simply is not strong enough to attract others - why would they need our light when they can get along just as well in the dark? Pray that the light of Christians around the world will shine in full force so that kings and nations are drawn to Him!

An IMB Worker