Rev. Johnson V
31st July 2011

Most children are instinctively scared of the dark. Maybe it is because their imaginations run wild when they can’t see what is around them, maybe it is because they are likely to hurt themselves if they were to walk around in the dark, without the ability to see, maybe sounds and noises are amplified in the darkness… whatever the reason, children and even adults, don’t like being in the dark. Most people won’t sit in absolute darkness, even if there was a power cut or electricity outage, without a candle or lamp.

The Bible also talks about darkness in Luke 11:33-36, the kind that affects our soul.

Our Lord Jesus had a wonderful way of communicating complex ideas and thoughts, in simple, easy-to-relate ways. Though the parables He used were simple, they were packed with life to bring about change. There is a difference between the police correcting a youngster and parents doing so. When the law speaks to its citizens, it does not necessarily empower. But when a parent speaks to his child, the parent empowers the child to understand and achieve the goal. God does the same for us, through the Holy Spirit. There is life in the words of our Saviour, because the Holy Spirit comes alongside us when we read His Word and helps us understand it.

In Luke 11:33-36, our Lord talked about darkness in our bodies and our lives. Our lord says that if our eyes are evil, our whole body is full of darkness. He is not referring our physical eyes, but our understanding, our comprehension. There are 2 ways we use our eyes to look at something - we can use our eyes to simply look at something or we can use our eyes to look at something and understand it with our minds. That is comprehension. Our Lord is saying that if our understanding of situations is evil, our whole bodies will be full of darkness.  Darkness clouds our minds, when we allow negative attitudes free reign. And darkness weighs down our spirit, in the absence of salvation.

Night time is generally the time for antisocial elements, because a lot of things can be done in secret, in the dark. There is zero visibility in the darkness of nighttime, making it dangerous to move around because things are hidden, and the frame of reference is hazy or invisible. We won’t know where we are going in the dark. Darkness is dangerous to our minds, bodies and spirits as well. It can deceive us and lead us down paths that we never intended to go down. We may not be able to control everything around us, but we can control our attitude and we can prevent the darkness from entering our lives. Pride, lust, greed, jealous, fearful, depression, critical thinking, unforgiveness, loneliness, are all emotions and attitudes that, if we allow it, will rule over every part of our lives and lead us to darkness. Our Lord cautions us, that if our attitudes are dark, it will lead to darkness inside of us. There is no way to bring light into our bodies and minds, unless our attitudes are changed. We cannot properly fill the vacuum in our lives with anything else except God’s Word.

Sometimes when it is dark, we have to use our other faculties to feel our way around our house, because we are unable to see with our eyes. In the same way, when we are unable to lack spiritual vision and direction, we need the help of prophets, neighbours and others to help us determine what God wants from us and we rely on second hand experiences or encounters with God to direct us. When our spirits are blind, we have partial perception. Sometimes we think that others need to change, when God is trying to tell us that we need to change. We can be so blind that God will have difficulty getting through to us.
The Bible tells us in 2 Peter 1:3-9, that if we don’t possess the qualities listed in increasing measure, throughout our lives, we will eventually become blind like we were before we were saved. 2 Peter 2:14 tells us that the whole body is defective, if our eyes are filled with adultery. In 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 we learn that the gospel is veiled to some people because they cannot understand it. Witchcraft, wrong attitudes, rebellion have blinded their eyes so that they cannot see the truth of the gospel, just as dogs can hear sounds at frequencies that we cannot, though we all have ears. Proverbs 20:27 tells us that God uses our spirits to search our innermost being. Our spirits are the candle of the Lord.

Light gives understanding, direction and destiny. We must learn to cultivate the right attitude in everything. We must learn to be thankful, look at everything with love and faith. The way we look at situations, can change the way situations respond to us.

We are compared to candles in the Bible and not torches because of the uniqueness of the candle. A candle reveals everything around it, while a torch always draws attention to itself; in a candle the flame can be passed onto others – it is contagious. A torch can never be passed on. A candle reveals itself, a torch hides itself. A candle can have a fragrant scent, whereas a torch has none. A candle gives warmth, but a torch is cold.

What brings light to our eyes? Psalm 119:105 God’s Word and His presence. As Mathew 5:14 tells us, we are the light of the world and we will not be hidden. Our God is willing to pour light in our lives, if we’d only make up our minds to listen and obey Him.