Believe in the Light
While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light. (John 12:36)
John 12:27-36; John 1:4; John 8:12, 24, 31-32; Rom. 13:12; II Cor. 5:6; Eph. 5:8; I John 1:6
What Is God Saying?
These words, accenting the importance of light, are spoken in hours of gathering darkness. Verses 20-36 and 44-50 give us the last public statement of Jesus. Soon He would have private words with His disciples in the Upper Room and the Garden of Gethsemane. These final words make it clear that He, the Christ, not only gives light and points to the light but that He is the Light. One last time before the darkness of Calvary (darkness even at noonday), He wants everyone within the sound of His voice to know that ‘whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’ (John 8:12).
It is to the crowds that Jesus is speaking. Since God is not willing that any should perish, it is to the many that Jesus speaks His final words. There were the crowds of Palm Sunday, the humble, the helpless, the forgotten, who hoped they had found their coming King (John 12:15), who saw the raising of Lazarus. Jesus said, '“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!”(John 12:27-28). Jesus left, probably never again to reenter the Temple area. His hour was coming. The door was closing. The heart of God was breaking. The Light was leaving. He who could and would draw all men to Himself was being rejected.
How Does This Apply To Us?
It was only a little longer that the Light would be with them. How those three words should grip us—a little longer. Even the longest life is inconsequential when placed against eternity. A little longer is sooner than we dare to think, a mist that appears for a short time and then vanishes.
Life has no greater imperative than to ‘believe in the Light’ and ‘to walk in the Light,’ for if we insist on closing our minds to the Truth, and if we reject the gift of God's Love and the shining of God's Light in Christ, God eventually allows us, by our own choice, to become immune to the Truth.
Pray With Me
Loving Father, You are the Giver of all life and the Father of all light. My life began by Your will and in Your perfect plan. My spiritual life began with the gift of the new birth. In the beginning of life and the beginning again of life, You are my Father. My Father is the ‘Father of the lights of Heaven.’ You said, ‘Let there be light on the earth.’ My Father is ‘the God of light, in Whom there is no darkness at all.’ Father of lights, as Your child I have a great heritage. To live for You through this life is my glory. To be in the Father's house forever is my destiny. Now I see it. Now I want it. Now I claim it. To be wholly blessed and to be blessedly whole, I will walk in the light as You are in the light.
Lord, I know that the darkness is always threatening. I must have the shield of faith to guard me not only against the flaming darts but also against the pervasive darkness of the Evil One. I must believe in the light. I must find my refuge in the light. I must choose to walk in the light as You are in the light. In Your light, I walk with confidence. In Your light, I move with purpose. In Your light, I need not be afraid. In Your light, everything makes sense and all things work together for good. Believing in light is
• the path of blessing.
• the death of darkness.
• the will of God.
• the gift of God.
It is the way we have fellowship with one another. In Your light, in the light of Your Word, in the light of Your forgiveness and cleansing, we are free to show compassion, to radiate kindness, and to forgive each other. In God's light, everything is bound together in perfect harmony.
In the name of Him whom to know is eternal life and with whom to walk is eternal light. Amen.
Moving On In The Life of Prayer
If there is any single discipline or privilege in our spiritual lives that needs and craves and thrives on the Light that God gives and the Light that God is, it is prayer. When we pray, we are affirming that we believe in the Light. We pray for guidance, believing that God will send the light. We pray for strength to get through another day, to carry another burden, to win another victory, and by believing in the Light, we become more than conquerors. Prayer, in a special way, is believing in the light and it always leads to walking in the Light. That is its purpose, its power, and its blessing. Count on it!
