The chorus of this old hymn came on the radio the other day…it took me back to a time in my life when we would sing this in our youth missions organization in my church…
For the darkness shall
turn to the dawning,
Then Christ's great Kingdom shall come on Earth,
The Kingdom of love and light.
The more I pondered these lyrics, the more I realized a subtle Truth contained within them…it’s always sunset to sunrise with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…darkness to dawn. He walks with us through our darkness into the dawn. From sunset to sunrise, through the darkest periods of our life, Jesus is with us, He came into our darkness to bring His light, His glory, His power.
The people who walk in darkness will see a great light.
For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. (Isaiah 9:2)
When Jesus walks with us out of darkness into His marvelous light, He wants us
to tell others that there is hope for them. We have a Great Physician, a Savior
who has transformed and healed our lives. Ask Him to give you His heart to see
people set free from their sins and sorrows and to renew your desire to tell
others of his life-changing power. Then, be His willing vessel to a waiting
world. Our lives in our
earthly bodies must be captured by the revelation of God’s unconditional love
for us, demonstrated in the life, sacrifice, and resurrection of Jesus. This love
is not merely a future hope. It is a present reality—now! Just as light displaces darkness, Christ in us
will displace what needs to die as we focus our attention on Him.
In darkness there is no choice. It is light that enables us to see the differences between things; and it is Christ who gives us light. Augustus Hare (1792–1834)
Lord Jesus, thank You
that it’s always sunset to sunrise with You. Thank You for walking with me
through my darkest nights, shedding Your light on my life to show me that I
needed You, my Great Physician, to heal my woundedness. Thank You for calling
me to come to You and for Your tender mercies in my life. Lord Jesus, give me Your heart for those who are hurting, sick, and lost in sin, just as Your heart
reached out to me in my time of greatest need.
Was this encouraging to you? Please feel free to leave a comment in the box below, I'd love to hear from you!
Beth- YES- this is encouraging- we often need such words to encourage a brother or sister going through hard times- this post will be great to refer them to. Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteMary, you are such a blessing from the Lord to me, I know you encourage everyone in your life the same way you encourage me, may God bless you, indeed, do something so big in your life it will be obvious it is from God. May He increase your influence and opportunities to make a difference for Him, and give you a continual sense of His presence, protecting you in every way :)
DeleteGreat encouragement! Sometimes in the darkness we feel like God's not with us, but in fact that's probably when He's closest to us.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kathryn. There's a song by Wayne Watson with these powerful lyrics, "I'd rather walk in the dark with Jesus, than to walk in the light on my own"...such a visual image of our dependence on Him.
DeleteBeth ... yes, yes, I remember this Sunday anthem sung week in and out at Camp. And when all is said and done, this should be our focus. Thanks for taking us there today!
ReplyDeleteLinda, thank you for that reminder...I went to our church's G.A. Camp several summers, and you're right, we did sing that song at chapel every day...wonderful early imprinting focusing our hearts on Jesus!
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