And There Was Light...

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”

These first few lines of scripture provide a marvelous image of God’s character. In them, we see His power, His imagination, His perfection and His desire. Look with me. First, God made the earth out of nothing. He perfectly imagined the elements and the laws that would bond them together to form the rock formations, the soil and the water. He lovingly held this watery rock in His hand in the darkness, enjoying His creation. “Then God said, ‘Let there be light.’” Not the sun. Light. The idea of light. And He was the source.

On days Two and Three He separated the waters, formed land and seas, and created vegetation which brought forth its fruit. All this was warmed by His light. Only on day Four did He create the sun and the moon and the stars to “serve as signs for festivals and for days and years.” Then He placed His little earth in orbit around the new sun and gave it a spin.

Over the years we have learned to count on the sun. It comes up and goes down every day. It’s guaranteed. Many have learned to trust in the sun rather than the Light, the created thing rather than the Creator. Romans 2 even describes people who choose to worship the sun as if it were God. We have a difficult time grasping that. It sounds silly. But in our own way we do the same thing. We also tend to “exchange the glory of the immortal God for images [of created things].”

Encountering Christ, we see our mistake. We repent and turn to Him. But then we spend the rest of our lives struggling to change our focus. All the habits of our sinful nature wars with the truth of God. His desire is to be the true Light in our lives. He wants more than anything to lovingly hold us in the palm of His hand. But He doesn’t force us. He was the first to “love something and let it go.” I want to focus on Him as the source of Light in my life. I don’t need the sun or anything else created. I need my Creator. Once I’m focused on Him, then all the other is in its proper place, and I can truly have abundant life.

In John 8:12, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”