Look for the Light
By J.B. Hixson, Ph.D.
06/07/2022
Therefore justice is far from us, nor does righteousness overtake us; we look for light, but there is darkness! For brightness, but we walk in blackness! We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes; we stumble at noonday as at twilight; we are as dead men in desolate places. (Isaiah 59:9-10)
These are turbulent times. It seems like the world is getting darker and more confusing with each passing day. The prophet Isaiah ministered to the nation of Judah during a time like this. The Northern Kingdom had fallen to the Assyrians (722 B.C.), and the Israelites were in danger of being swallowed up by the Gentile nations that surrounded them. This Gentile aggression made it imperative for the Israelites to trust God rather than man. Isaiah spoke directly to the unsettled hearts of the Israelites during this time of transition. He challenged God’s people to trust Yahweh, not their own fears.
In Isaiah 59:9-10, Isaiah indicts the people of Israel for their lack of faith. One of the consequences of this unbelief was a feeling of darkness. He wrote, “Therefore justice is far from us, nor does righteousness overtake us; we look for light, but there is darkness! For brightness, but we walk in blackness! We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes; we stumble at noonday as at twilight; we are as dead men in desolate places.”
The Israelites understood God’s promises and therefore anticipated glorious blessings on their land and their people. Yet, their present situation was far from glorious. It was dark and gloomy. Nevertheless, God would not totally abandon His people. Though they “grope as if they had no eyes” and “stumble at noonday as at twilight,” God’s light one day would fill their hearts. Ultimately, this promise was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the Light of the world.
Isaiah’s metaphor about light and darkness is an apt description of the chaos that has enveloped the world in our day. At times it seems as though we are groping in darkness. What in the world is going on? Where is the light in this ever-darkening world?
Thinking about darkness reminded me of an experience I had many years ago at Sea World in San Antonio. My children and I were playing in the water park when I suggested that we try the tunnel slide. What I did not realize, but soon found out, was that the tunnel slide was not just a short tunnel followed by hundreds of feet of the more traditional open water slide. Rather, the entire slide was an enclosed tunnel. And it was dark. I mean pitch black.
As I slid wildly to the bottom for what seemed like an eternity, I kept repeating the following prayer over and over again in my heart: “Lord, get me to the light! Lord, get me to the Light! Lord, get me to the light!” It was the most exhilarating (that’s the macho word for scary) ride I had ever endured. The tunnel kept swirling me around violently. Sometimes I was going backwards; sometimes I was going forwards. But then again, who could tell?! I never knew which way I was going to turn next. Most of the time all I could do was just hold on for dear life. When I finally saw a ray of light up ahead I knew the end of the tunnel was near. At that point my prayer changed to, “Lord, I don’t care if I come out feet first or head first, just make sure my swimming trunks stay on!”
Sometimes life can be a pretty wild ride. Like plummeting down a tunnel slide, we often do not know which way is up and which way is down. When life takes us on one of those rides, all we can do is hold on and look for the light. In times like these we need to turn to God and trust Him. He knows when the tunnel ends. He knows where the light is. Stop groping and stumbling and just rest in Him. Look for the light!
06/07/2022
Therefore justice is far from us, nor does righteousness overtake us; we look for light, but there is darkness! For brightness, but we walk in blackness! We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes; we stumble at noonday as at twilight; we are as dead men in desolate places. (Isaiah 59:9-10)
These are turbulent times. It seems like the world is getting darker and more confusing with each passing day. The prophet Isaiah ministered to the nation of Judah during a time like this. The Northern Kingdom had fallen to the Assyrians (722 B.C.), and the Israelites were in danger of being swallowed up by the Gentile nations that surrounded them. This Gentile aggression made it imperative for the Israelites to trust God rather than man. Isaiah spoke directly to the unsettled hearts of the Israelites during this time of transition. He challenged God’s people to trust Yahweh, not their own fears.
In Isaiah 59:9-10, Isaiah indicts the people of Israel for their lack of faith. One of the consequences of this unbelief was a feeling of darkness. He wrote, “Therefore justice is far from us, nor does righteousness overtake us; we look for light, but there is darkness! For brightness, but we walk in blackness! We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes; we stumble at noonday as at twilight; we are as dead men in desolate places.”
The Israelites understood God’s promises and therefore anticipated glorious blessings on their land and their people. Yet, their present situation was far from glorious. It was dark and gloomy. Nevertheless, God would not totally abandon His people. Though they “grope as if they had no eyes” and “stumble at noonday as at twilight,” God’s light one day would fill their hearts. Ultimately, this promise was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the Light of the world.
Isaiah’s metaphor about light and darkness is an apt description of the chaos that has enveloped the world in our day. At times it seems as though we are groping in darkness. What in the world is going on? Where is the light in this ever-darkening world?
Thinking about darkness reminded me of an experience I had many years ago at Sea World in San Antonio. My children and I were playing in the water park when I suggested that we try the tunnel slide. What I did not realize, but soon found out, was that the tunnel slide was not just a short tunnel followed by hundreds of feet of the more traditional open water slide. Rather, the entire slide was an enclosed tunnel. And it was dark. I mean pitch black.
As I slid wildly to the bottom for what seemed like an eternity, I kept repeating the following prayer over and over again in my heart: “Lord, get me to the light! Lord, get me to the Light! Lord, get me to the light!” It was the most exhilarating (that’s the macho word for scary) ride I had ever endured. The tunnel kept swirling me around violently. Sometimes I was going backwards; sometimes I was going forwards. But then again, who could tell?! I never knew which way I was going to turn next. Most of the time all I could do was just hold on for dear life. When I finally saw a ray of light up ahead I knew the end of the tunnel was near. At that point my prayer changed to, “Lord, I don’t care if I come out feet first or head first, just make sure my swimming trunks stay on!”
Sometimes life can be a pretty wild ride. Like plummeting down a tunnel slide, we often do not know which way is up and which way is down. When life takes us on one of those rides, all we can do is hold on and look for the light. In times like these we need to turn to God and trust Him. He knows when the tunnel ends. He knows where the light is. Stop groping and stumbling and just rest in Him. Look for the light!
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