“For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
John 3:20-21
God is a beacon of hope on to the world, and through His Son, Christ Jesus, He sets light upon the world shining His love, His truth, His grace, His mercy and His compassion unto the world through the power of His righteousness that guides the faithful through the murky, rocky waters of this world to the safe shores of their Heavenly Home. He is that great Lighthouse set amidst the distant seas, to guide us through the dangerous waters, to guide us all dangers that seek to afflict us, that we may be protected until that time we reach His tender, loving kindness that regardless of what may come our way, regardless of what may seek to beat against the bow of our ship, that we may know that there is nothing that can so harm us that it can rob us of that grace, nothing that can take from us that safe landing.
Yet there are those who, through their wisdom, in rejecting the light of God, seek to lurk in dark and hidden places, working evil as they try to do their own will, their own way in this world. They set sail under a gloomy banner and they keep themselves in shadowy places, hoping that that they will be able to stay just out of the range of the light, hoping to drag others to their concealed places that they may put a veil over their eyes, trying to hide them from the light and the light from them, burying them in the obscure places that they hope that God will not be able to see.
Through their actions they become agents of chaos and harm, hurt and pain, suffering and affliction as they work their wicked ways in this world, taking free men captive, persecuting the proud, violating the innocent, destroying the good, all that they may, in their own self righteousness, in their hatred and their fear, their loathing and their rejection of all that is good that they may assert their dominance on this world. Their life isn’t given to helping those in need, but in making the need greater as they take prisoners and make slaves as they become a force for evil in this world.
God though is clear, and through His Son, Christ Jesus, in the text today, makes His heart and His will known. Those who seek to hide themselves from the light, those who seek to abide in darkness, they do so far from His grace, far from His Spirit as they do what they want, believing that there are no consequences for their actions, that they will never have to be forced to take responsibility for the deeds in which they have done. Yet, for as much as they try to conceal themselves, as much as they may try to keep themselves far from sight, what is done in the darkness, it shall always be brought into the light, as His will is done on earth as it is in Heaven.
What needs to be remembered is the faithful assurances and promises of the Lord. It’s hard, at times to find oneself abiding in them when things seem so hard, when they seem so harsh and evil is on the march and wicked iniquity seems to be on the rise, and it looks as if it will have the inevitable triumph. Yet God is ever devoted and loyal to His children, contending with their cause as He dedicates Himself to their plight.
It’s here then that we know that justice will always be done and that the Lord will bring all men, all people who work wickedness and iniquity, hatred and fear as their weapons of choice in this world to justice through His divine integrity and His loving compassion, His tender mercies for His children. He will never let such evil abide for all times in all places, but rather He shall move through this world, in this day for the cause of His people to put an end to their suffering at the hands of others. He shall move in this world, never failing or forsaking the sheep of His pasture, never leaving them to the wolves unto the slaughter.
A mighty fortress, God protects His people, guarding them against unrighteousness as He searches for them in the darkness, that once more His light may shine upon their lives and they may be then brought out of the gloomy, murky estate that they are held in, to the safe places that He has intended for them. A rock of ages, He sets Himself as a firm foundation so that even in the harshest of days, even in the worst of times His light will still be anchored in their souls, giving them some measure of solace, some measure of peace in the further reaches of their soul, a understanding that cannot be taken away, come what may, come what must.
Trust therefore in the Lord and the power of His light, knowing that it is there to illuminate all places and that there is no darkness that can abide or stand against it. A loving and merciful Heavenly Father, He is always there for His people regardless of where they may be, regardless of what may hold them, and He is at work to give them hope in even the most hopeless, even the most challenging of adversity, putting to flight the unrighteousness of this world and letting His justice come to bear throughout this world.
Trust in the Lord knowing that He does not just leave His people adrift in a sea of no hope as they are left to wonder just how long it will be before they are finally engulfed by despair and hurt, hardship and pain, suffering and sorrow, as it seems like there is nothing left for them but the darkness that now overwhelms and encompasses them. A God of Deliverance, He shall always set Himself to work, moving through this world and in it for the cause of His people in all that they see, all that they know, and all that they face.
Abide therefore in His light, letting it encompass you, that hope and faith may overwhelm you, that you may stand with courage unto all the days of this age, like the saints of old and the saints to come, given the mercy and compassion, the love and kindness of the Lord.
For this is His promise, this is His assurance unto all His people.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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