Arise and Shine

“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth and gross darkness the peoples, but the LORD shall arise upon thee and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.” — Isaiah 60:1–3

Every day is the beginning of a a new year, when you will be turning the pages of the calendar and making some decisions emotionally. Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future? Are you embracing the passages of time or shunning them with fear and apprehension?

For every genuine human emotion, there is a superficial counterfeit. There is a kind of optimism that denies the reality of darkness and projects a positive facade in the hope that it will become real through some miracle of manipulation. That is not what God is evoking in this call to hope.

The reality is that darkness has covered the earth from time to time in her history as a precursor of the pervasive darkness of the last days. It is also true that out of that darkness, the brightest hopes and the most brilliant sunrises have emerged.

We are a people of bright prospects. We do not deny the darkness nor seek to squelch it with artificial light. Nor do we focus on its power because it is fading and receding. The true light has come and we gaze upon it with the eyes of faith.

“God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” -I John 1:5

The great spectacle of His rising over us and within our hearts is a beacon in the darkness to the nations. As the children sing, “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine,” so let us live with hope and genuine optimism.

Rise heart!

Your Lord is risen.

Sing His praise.

Sing His praise without delays.

– George Herbert