YAHSHUA – THE LIGHT OF A WORLD IN DARKNESS
© Carlos Padilla, September 2021
“Suddenly I could not see the way of my life before me; I could guess it, but could not see it clearly as I am used to”. I am sure that this is a common experience, in these times, for many of us who believe and know Jesus, but we live in a world going deeper than ever into darkness. The Words of Jesus, are on the contrary, like a lighthouse that illuminates us so that we don’t crash the boat of our lives against the coast. The pandemic that we are living in this second decade of the XXI century A.D. is affecting the world at a psychological and mood way. We see it, and we read it daily. The matter is, that the uncertainty, the difficulty, the social situation, the lack of jobs, sickness, and sometimes the death of our loved ones, although it affect all people, it should not produce the same reaction to an unbeliever that to a disciple of Jesus, because this one knows, or should know the Prophetic Word of the Bible, the destiny or humanity, and of course his own.
Those of us who follow Jesus must look for the light of the world in Him. Sometimes, all of us go through darkness that shadows our life, darkness that cover the light of Christ to which we are used to. The psalmist describes in 23 that yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for you are with me, referring to the Lord. The shadows and the darkness have two interpretations. Sometimes we talk of the lost world of the enemies of Christ, and others when we go through spiritual tests that make us stronger, and in which Jesus sustains us, carries us in His arms, although sometimes they are hard for His disciples.
Yahshua teaches us: “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12), but we see that the world walks in darkness and shadows because it does not look to Jesus, He who is the light. On the other hand, the Christian can see in the midst of the shadows of a world in darkness, through pandemics, calamities, persecutions, tribulations. But, how can we see our way in Christ in the midst of the darkness? And, how to hear the voice of Yahshua in the midst of the shadows?
HOW TO SEE OUR WAY IN CHRIST IN THE MIDST OF THE DARKNESS?
We could say, with no mistake, that we are short of sight because we focus on the problems, in the circumstances that we go through, and these do not let us see the horizon, that which holds precious promises of God. Also our enemy, the devil, dedicates to fight with shadow, darkness and problems to hinder our Christian life and its fruits, although we know that he has been defeated by Yahshua on the Cross of Calvary and in the Resurrection.
So, how to walk without sight? If we are in the darkness, how can we go forward? To see there must be light, and Jesus is the light of that gives us light, John 1, that true light that gives light to every man and that came to the world. He who does not follow Jesus will abide in darkness and will not see where is going. If we look to God through Christ, we can see the prophecies, the roadmap of the prophetical clock of God. Also, when we look to God in Christ, we can believe God has promised each one of us. “For we walk by faith, not by sight…” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Faith is like the electricity of the light house, without it there is no light. We must come in prayer whenever we are or see shadow or darkness in life; only that way we may know if we have sinned, if we did not do something we should have done, if the Lord is correcting us in something, and only that way our faith grows and the light shines; else, we are blind. That is something that the merchant of slaves John Newton recognized after his conversion to Christ in the most famous Christian hymn “Amazing Grace”: “…was blind, but now I see…” In the same way the Psalmist in 23 declares: “…Yea, though I walk through the valley of shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me…”.
Therefore, in the midst of the pandemic, of a world in shadow, changing and in moral and civic degradation, separated from faith and from the Word of God, and that is suffering the consequences, we can trust our salvation and in the help of God, even though we walk in the middle of shadows, because (John 1:4,5,8,9): “In Him was the life, and the LIFE was the LIGHT of men” – “The light shines in the darkness” – “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than Light”. (John 3:19).
Finally we shall remember the answer of Jesus to those sent by John the Baptist when they came from seeing Yahshua – Jesus doing the miracles and healing: “The blind see…” (Luke 7:22).
HOW TO HEAR THE VOICE OF JESUS IN THE MIDST OF THE DARKNESS?
Before, we spoke of the faith as the electricity of the light house that it may give light. The Bible reminds us that the faith comes by hearing, and hearing, by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Therefore there are two experiences about hearing the voice of Jesus. One for the non believer, which comes from hearing the Gospel of the salvation of his soul, and starting a new life in Christ. The other one, is for the disciple, who already has faith, and who already knows the Lord, when he cannot hear the voice of Jesus. John 5:14 reminds us that if we ask for anything in the will of God, He hears us. Therefore, if a brother in Christ walks in darkness, or cannot hear the voice of God, the answer comes through prayer. If someone does not hear the voice of God, its missing prayer in his life, something that it is in his hands to be changed.
To John, himself in his old years, was given the vision and the hearing of the book of Revelation, which reminds us in 22:8 “Now I John, saw and heard these things…”. One of the best expressions of a man of God hungry and thirsty of the voice of God, was Samuel the prophet who “cried” to Yahweh and heard him, (1 Samuel 7:9). And Proverb 1:33: “But whoever listens to Me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil.” Because as the Lord says, remembering Joel the prophet and (Acts 2:17): “Your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams…” And the apostle Paul reminded the Corinthians in his second letter (12:1): “…I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord…”
But shame that many want to hear the voice of God, but don’t want to obey His Word. They want God to talk to them, but don’t want to listen to what He says. So, then, why do they want to hear the voice of God, those who don’t love Him? Therefore they will remain in the darkness, blind and deaf all those who don’t believe the Word of God, those who ignore the Bible, and those who don’t want to understand it through the words of Yahshua, its Author.
Finally, again, let us remember the answer of Jesus to those sent by John the Baptist when they came from seeing Yahshua – Jesus doing miracles and healing: “The deaf hear…” (Luke 7:22).
BIBLE TEXTS
“…Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness… (Psalm 112:4). “I will make darkness light before them… (Isaiah 42:16). “If you extend your soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in the darkness… (Isaiah 58:10). “To give light to those who sit in darkness… (Luke 1:79). “I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness… (John 12:46). “…a dark mist fell on him… On Elymas, the sorcerer, (Acts 13:11). “…He has delivered us from the power of darkness… (Colossians 1:13). “But you, brethren, are not in darkness… (1 Thessalonians 5:4). “…who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light… (1 Peter 2:9). “…because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining… (1 John 2:8). “…He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now… (1 John 2:9). “…and his kingdom became full of darkness… (Revelation 16:10).
CONCLUSION
Faith, but over all to trust God, in Christ, through the Holy Spirit, is what gives us the light of life to go forward, because also in our Christian life we can say as John: “because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining”.
When we go through a situation where we have analyzed ourselves before God in prayer and fasting, and we are walking the Way of the Lord, without leaving the path right or left, but it looks that we are in shadow and in darkness because the things we await from God don’t come, let us trust Him, because God, nor is late, nor early, nor leaves things undone. But we are impatient, affected by wanting and worry, and hindered by the shadow and the darkness of the world in which we live. It is vital that we have analyzed ourselves before God humbly and ready to accept if we have sinned, or failed, or are not witnessing, or don’t pray, or don’t fast, or don’t study, or don’t help, or have not treated the brethren or the neighbour as a good disciple should. Prayer in Christ is the answer to see and hear God. To talk to God with the heart, in the name of Jesus – Yahshua, and listening to the Holy Spirit.
The result of following Jesus, the Light of the world, is that it makes us become also light of the world: “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven”. (Matthew 5:14-16). For this we must follow Jesus, who provides us of that light, spend time with Him, study His Word, preach it, help the poor, and with the brethren serve in the mission of the Great Commission. In the meantime and in the midst of the shadow and the darkness of this age, before the glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ, let us be light of the world for His glory. And if we cannot see His way, nor hear His voice, let us come in prayer to seek His presence, patiently wait in Him, because our God always answers, always takes care of us, and always blesses those who trust him. John 8:12: “I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life”.
