Did you see that moon? Wow! I have a thing about the moon. I mean I love the sun, it’s a magnificent creation, our daylight and our dayheat. But, there’s just something about the fall moon. The other morning, I was sitting on my front porch mooning. Not the kind of mooning you’re thinking about. The kind of mooning in the pitch blackness of early morning, very early morning. The blackness made by turning off all the outside lights. It is unbelievable what you can see when you turn out the lights! Another day…Follow me to the front porch, in the silence of the early morning, in the darkness, to a chair.
This morning I sit and gaze at the moon. All moons are beautiful but this one’s special. This round, yellow-white, humongous moon was placed carefully in the sky, on the Fourth Day! With the naked eye you can see outlines and details on this moon. Spectacular! So, in the darkness, I moonbathe. Ever been moonbathing? It’s similar to sunbathing, only better. The moon is at about 2:00 over the mountain. From where I’m sitting, it’s behind a big old maple tree. You know when the sun is out and there’s a tree, you try to hide your eyes with a branch so you can see? You know what I mean, right? Well, it’s the exact opposite with the moon. Instead of hiding from the moon behind the branches, I find myself searching for the moon around the branches. The light shines in the darkness – heard that before? I close my eyes and I sit. I feel the fall breeze, listen to the tinkling leaves trying to hold on for just one more day. I feel the moon on my face and I bathe in its glory and in the One who created it.
I think about how well I can see the moon in the darkness, and how incredibly bright it seems to be. So bright that it casts shadows. Then I think, would I realize how bright the moon was if it wasn’t so dark. When the sun’s out, it is always bright, there is no darkness. Do we even notice? Not much. I don’t always see the sun, because it’s always there. Does that make sense? I don’t recognize how bright the light, until I’ve seen the darkness. I would not be able to glory in the moon and the One who created it, if it were always light.
Life’s like that too, you know. We must sometimes travel in the dark to recognize the light. There are many different kinds of darkness. Physical darkness – illness. Spiritual darkness – sin. Emotional darkness – anxiety. Relationship darkness – separation, abuse. Financial darkness – there’s just not enough. We’ve all got dark. But there’s an incredible hope, a Light.
Because of God’s tender mercy, the light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace. Luke 1:78-79
Do you see what that says? When we are overcome with darkness, when the night is pitch black, when the dark hole is so deep, God will break upon us. He will visit, descend, show up, make Himself known, appear, through the Light of Heaven, Jesus His only Son.
Psalm 112:4 puts it another way:
When darkness overtakes the godly, light will come bursting in. The Lord is generous, compassionate and righteous.
When we are in our darkest moments because we’ve made an ever-loving mess of things, or due to circumstances completely beyond our control, when darkness has overtaken us – our spirits, our thoughts, our actions, our wallets, our relationships, our whatevers, the Light, not a light, but the Light will come in. It doesn’t say that Light may show up, that it will be subtle, it says BURSTING in. Jesus always shows up. Not just a tiny speck of light in the darkness, but a full moon, so bright you can find your way.
Here’s the thing, the Light comes, not because of who we are or what we do, but because of who He is. Remember what it said? He is merciful. He is peace-filled. He is generous. He is compassionate. He is righteous. He is Light. The Light does shine in the darkness and the darkness has not extinguished it. It just can’t. What incredible Light for our darkness. The Light that gives Light to everyone. To all who receive Him. To all who call upon Him.
Sometimes we just don’t know how dark it has been until we see the Light.