On a family trip to Mammoth Cave, the guide turned out the lights. We were hundreds of feet below the Earth’s surface and far from the entrance. No ambient light filtered through. This was utter darkness, pitch black. My eyes eventually gave up trying to adjust.
Until the guide lit a match. A single match. That was all it took. And suddenly the dark wasn’t dark anymore. When there is even the smallest bit of light, we no longer call it darkness. Even when there are shadows, as long as there is even a dim light, we call it light. Because that’s the thing about light – it’s greater than darkness.
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.”
John 1:5
Sometimes this world around us feels about as pitch black as that cave. Whether it’s terrible things we hear about on the news, hard times friends encounter, or situations that reach right into our own homes and our own hearts, sometimes the darkness overwhelms us and threatens to swallow up the light.
In response to our fears, the Bible says, Fear not. “Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday” (Psalm 91:5-6). We belong to the God who made both light and darkness. The darkness isn’t threatening to Him and doesn’t overwhelm Him and can never overcome the light of His glory. So fear not.
Have you ever noticed that it doesn’t make any difference to a candle whether the lights are turned on or not? But oh what a difference it makes to us that the candle is shining when the lights are turned out! The candle is no different, but its light is made more noticeable by the darkness around it. Candles aren’t afraid of the dark.
If I’m perfectly honest, there are times when I’m afraid of the dark. There are times I feel like the wind is blowing hard and my light is just about out. That’s when I have a tendency to want to hide my light. I want to cover it up, put a basket over it so it will be safe. Jesus talked about that – He said, “You are the light of the world… Don’t hide your light under a basket!” (Matthew 5:14-15). He knows it takes courage to keep your light on a stand, to keep shining in a world that wants to snuff you out.
So God promises to protect flickering candles (Isaiah 42:3) and He knows we need help. This is why He sent the Helper – “What looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:3-4). The unquenchable light of God in us cannot be snuffed out, no matter how hard the wind blows, no matter how deep the darkness. So take courage.
The darkness is disappearing and the true light is already shining. 1 John 2:8