The Darkness

TITLE: The Darkness
DATE:  July 17, 2019
TEXT:. John 12:35-36 – ESV- So Jesus said to them, "The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light." When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.

Christ is risen. He is risen indeed.
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How dark can dark be? In truth, I don’t.
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But I know somebody, a man by the name of Borja, who has a pretty good idea. He had been involved in the struggle for Ecuadorian democracy. When the military cracked down, Borja that was his name, had been arrested.

Without trial, they threw him into a cold, windowless dungeon.

The solitary light bulb, that had provided light a long time ago, had been smashed. For three days he endured a timeless darkness which has been known to drive people mad. Just when the situation seemed unbearable, the huge steel door of his cell opened, and someone crept into the darkness. Borja heard the person working on something in the opposite corner. Without saying a word, the figure crept out, closed the door, and disappeared.

Minutes later the cell suddenly blazed with light.

Someone, perhaps at the risk of his own life, had connected electricity to the light fixture. "From that moment," explained Borja, who later became President of Ecuador, "my imprisonment had hope because at least I could see."
That was a man who could understand darkness in a way that I cannot.

I have personally met another man, a Christian pastor, who was kept so long in solitary confinement his jailors had been able to convince him he was the last Christian left in world. He, too, lived through a darkness I can only imagine.

When Jesus, the Light of the world, came to this earth, He was surrounded by darkness. Back then, there were countless individuals who were stumbling blindly through the night. They were totally unaware of the blackness in which they were living. To save them from a darkness that would never end, Jesus, at the cost of His life, entered humanity’s dark cell.

 He died to bring salvation’s light to humanity. It is that Light and hope which He would have us share with friends, family and co-workers who remain in the dark. The clock is ticking. The time will soon come when it will be too late for them to see their Savior.

That is why Jesus wants us to be assistants to the Holy Spirit and bring hope to those who are angry and alone, frightened and frustrated. "Do you know how dark, dark can be?" No, we don't, and we don't want anybody else to know, either.

THE PRAYER Dear Lord Jesus, for the hope You have given me, I give thanks. Use me to do all I can, when I can, to share Your light with others. In Your Name. Amen.

The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html