Matthew 4:16 “The people living
in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow
of death a light has dawned.”
When I first became a minister, I worked for a while
in an ophthalmic ward as its part-time chaplain. All the patients in it were
recovering from eye surgery. Some of them needed implants, some suffered from
glaucoma, and still others had been involved in car accidents which meant that
the surgeons had to patiently pick out small fragments of glass and metal from
their eyes.
95% of the time, the surgeries were successful. The
other five percent had to undergo several different operations before their eye
ailments were cured. Sadly, a small number of people each year remained blind.
Dealing with those patients was amongst the saddest pastoral experiences I ever
had.
For the rest of the patients, recovery took several
days. They were gradually brought into the light, so that their eyes would not
be permanently damaged by the sudden brightness of daylight. I can remember that
large wooden shutters were placed over each window in the ward. The merest ray
of sunshine, if prematurely exposed to the patients, could ruin their eyes
forever.
The best experiences in the ward were those great days
when a patient was wheeled out into the courtyard in full sunlight. Their joy
was ecstatic and tears of gladness were often shed by the patients, nurses, as
well their families. It was indeed a fulfilling of the old Biblical prophecy –
“the people walking in darkness have seen a great light.”
Spiritual darkness occurs in the hearts and souls of
many people in the world today. Sometimes they’ve allowed fear, disbelief and
distance from God to take them back into the shadows of doubt and despair.
Sometimes painful events, grief, and illnesses cause people to retreat within
them, cutting themselves off from God’s love and His people. Whatever the causes
or the circumstances, as a pastor I have seen the light of Christ heal, restore,
and reclaim people like them for God’s Kingdom, in words and ways that cause
them to rejoice in the Lord and delight in His glory.
Perhaps you are currently undergoing some pain,
hardship, or trouble. Maybe you feel vulnerable, isolated, and alone. Dark
clouds may have almost overwhelmed your soul and you may feel depressed. Know
this: Christ has the capacity to bring you back into the light. Allow Him to do
what He is best at accomplishing – restoring peoples’ lives and returning them
to God’s Love. All you need to do is ask Him to do this for you, even now as you
are reading this message.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You know the struggles we are all
experiencing and the issues that over-shadow our lives. In the midst of all the
darkness that we feel, bring to each of us Your Everlasting Light. Encourage and
embrace us; empower and enable us to follow Your Light. In Your Holy Name, we
sincerely pray. Amen.
John Stuart TRAQAIR@aol.com
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