It happens again. It’s the middle of the night and you have to visit the restroom. As you get your bearings, you begin to make your voyage. While you know where all the permanent furniture and fixtures are located, you forget about the newly located items: the laundry basket, the legos, the toy cars, etc. As you bump into, step on, and try not to scream, you almost determine in your heart that this trip is not worth it. You almost determine that it is too dark to move.
In Exodus, God began to send plagues on the Egyptians due to their refusal and rebellion. God sent a variety of punishments on the Egyptian people from blood to frogs. One of the plagues that was presented was the plague of darkness. This was a totally different darkness than what we might experience at night in our home, this darkness could actually be felt.
Exodus 10: 21:23 states, “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Lift your hands toward heaven, and the land of Egypt will be covered with a darkness so thick you can feel it.’ So Moses lifted his hand to the sky, and a deep darkness covered the entire land of Egypt for three days. During all that time the people could not see each other, and no one moved. But there was light as usual where the people of Israel lived.”
While darkness can be experienced physically in our homes at night, it can also be experienced metaphorically. Our world is such a dark place and seems to get darker all the time. The sins of the world are broadcast for all to see them. We have political unrest, social issues, hatred amongst neighbors, and the glorification of sin. It can make us as believers become stagnant and not want to move because we can “feel the darkness.” I love that last sentence in these verses. “But there was light as usual where the people of Israel lived.” There is no doubt that all the Egyptians could see the light that was shining as usual where the people of Israel lived. These Egyptians were sitting still as no one could see, but there was a light shining beyond their land.
When things seem bleak, when darkness in the world can be felt, do people still see the LIGHT as usual shining from believers? When the darkness was thickest, the light could be seen the brightest. As Christians, this is our chance to show His LIGHT more than ever before. When people look at you, do they see His light? Do they notice something different about you in comparison to the darkness that they see and feel around them? We have to pray that God would strengthen us to show His light in a very dark world and allow others to see a difference in our lives. We have to look for opportunities to shine His light in our day-to-day interactions.
As the old Sunday School song says, “This little light of mine. I’m going to let it shine. This little light of mine. I’m going to let it shine. This little light of mine. I’m going to let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine.”
When the world is dark enough that you can feel it, it doesn’t matter how “little” the light is because it will make a difference.
This blog was written by Amy Carrico: Author of Making Moments Matter Blog
Last Updated on July 29, 2024
Powerful!