Even In Darkness, There Is Light

By Reverend Michael Farias

A few months ago, I was returning from a missions trip to Africa when my right eye suddenly began to go dim.  Within thirty minutes, I had completely lost vision in the eye.  Without warning, my sight was cut in half.  I experienced partial darkness in the midst of bright lights, and I was definitely very concerned.  I was nine time zones from home, in an unfamiliar foreign airport, and I was traveling alone.  I did not panic, as I looked for peace in the Lord.  Fortunately, after a surgical procedure a few days later and time to heal, my eye is back to normal.  I thank God for the miracles of modern medicine and technology.

All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend  it.  John 1:3-5 

A few days before the writing of this blog, the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history took place in Las Vegas. At least 59 were killed, including the shooter, and 500 were injured. It can be described only as darkness.  We pray for the families and for the survivors.  We pray that light will shine in the darkness.

We have also recently witnessed an onslaught of disasters, including, but not limited to, an earthquake in Mexico, fires in Montana and the west, and hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria.  These are only the events that we are aware of.  When you combine man- made disasters with natural disasters, it can appear that the entire planet seems to be in darkness.  We pray that light will shine in the darkness.

When we hear about the missile testing being done by North Korea, we wonder if nuclear war is on the horizon.  There just seems to be darkness, doom and gloom everywhere we look.

But, do not fear, be not dismayed.  The Light shines in the darkness.

John tells us that life is in Jesus and that life is the light of men. Jesus is the Light.

I believe that if not for my relationship with the Lord, when my eye went dim, I would have panicked.  Fear would have gripped my heart, anxiety would have exploded in my mind, and I would have been a mess. That’s not what happened - there was peace.

The Light shines in the darkness. Period. 

Even though we are bombarded by news and images of events that seem to indicate that darkness abounds, it does not.  Light abounds. And the darker it gets, the brighter the light is. 

It is my hope and prayer that whatever dark season or incident you face, that you will see Jesus, the Light of men.

Let’s go a step deeper.  Let’s make it more personal.  Why?  Because not everyone sees the Light.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.  John 1:6-7 

Perhaps you and I, like John the Baptist, could be and should be a witness of the Light. 

Let’s make it our hope and prayer that God will use you and I to bring a beam of Light to those who are seeing nothing but darkness.  It is not a time for panic, but a time for peace.  Peace that only comes from a relationship with God.