Pastor's Corner: Arise and shine

It’s been an interesting year so far! Best understatement you’ve heard lately, huh! Some events occurring in our country right now remind me of certain eras in the history of Israel. During the days of the Old Testament prophet Isaiah, God instructed him to write his prophecies on a scroll. Israel was going through some dark times, which Isaiah spoke about, but God told him to give the people words of hope. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.” (Isaiah 9:2) When Jesus began His ministry on earth, the writer of the Gospel of Matthew quoted this verse and concluded that the coming of Jesus was its fulfillment. (See Matthew 4:16).

The Apostle John opens his Gospel with a similar theme: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it (John 1:1-5). In this context the word comprehend means not only to understand but also to lay hold of, grasp, seize, or appropriate for oneself.

A bit later in John’s book, Jesus describes Himself this way: “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life” (John 8:12) . As we look around at events occurring in our world and are perhaps tempted to focus on the darkness, let’s remember who Jesus is and what He is willing and able to do in our lives.

Right now, many of us are wondering whether our schools will re-open this fall; if that happens, what will the school day look like? Will more of our businesses re-open and be able to invite their employees to come back to work? It seems our farmers and ranchers are having a good harvest right now. Will they get good prices for their crops? I wonder what the Lord has in store for us. The following passage from Isaiah keeps coming to my mind.

Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.

For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people;

But the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.

The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

“Lift up your eyes all around, and see: they all gather together, they come to you;

Your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be nursed at your side.

Then you shall see and become radiant, and your heart shall swell with joy;(Isaiah 60:1-5) .

In the original context, Isaiah is prophesying over God’s chosen people, of course, but according to the book of Romans in the New Testament, we are now children of Abraham and therefore these words apply to us, as well. When I consider the truth of who He is and what He has promised, I have a sense of anticipation and excitement. I believe the Lord wants to break out and break through in our lives as never before. Just as Moses petitioned, “Show me your glory, Lord,” so also do our hearts cry out. The Lord answered Moses’ prayer with the statement that He would reveal His goodness. When we ask to see His glory, we are really asking for more of Him: His goodness, His love, His grace, His mercy, His power, His hope, His provision, His peace, His joy, His truth, … His Presence!

Again, just as in Isaiah’s time, we see darkness in our world. So, our circumstances are ripe for God to show up in awesome ways. The Light of the World will drive out the darkness, and His glory will be seen among us as He brings salvation, deliverance, healing, and so on. May His glory shine upon us and through us as individuals. As my husband likes to say, “Then people will ask, ‘What’s different about that person? I want some of that.’” And may He break out and break through in our churches and all the communities in our region. May we comprehend (seize, grasp, hold onto) the Light. Shine Your light upon us, Lord. Show us your glory. Reveal your glory through us. May we all have a glory-filled, radiant August and remainder of 2020. As it says in Psalm 34:5 (Modern English Version): “They looked to Him and became radiant … .”

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Vicki Barrows is a pastor at Abundant Life Ministries