Devotionals
ARISE!
Isaiah 60:1-2
“Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth and thick
darkness is over the peoples, but the
Lord rises upon you and his glory appears
over you.” (NIV)
Darkness limits our ability. Clouds our vision. Distorts reality.
How many times have we ever had to stumble through the darkness of night trying to find our way across a room and bumped into objects we didn’t see? Not pleasant at times!
This is an example of what we may encounter in physical darkness. But, we experience times of emotional darkness as well. Those dark days. The blahs. Depression. Despair. A gloomy outlook. No desire to get up and go. Sadness. Hopelessness might creep in during those moments. Unless you know the Savior! Unless you’ve grasped onto His saving grace. Unless you cling to His gift of Life.
We may always experience the dark days….those days or “seasons” of our life when things boggle our minds. But, remember this. The miraculous transformation between the crucifixion and the resurrection! The difference between the darkness of night and the light of day. The difference between physical death and the glory of life. The difference between emotional death and emotional living. The difference between devastation and joy.
We need to simply remember the cross when we are trudging through the dark days. He’s been there. Not only for me and you, but for all of mankind! He’s already carried the burden we feel. He’s already shared our grief, our sadness, our hurt emotions, our brokenness. Our sins. He carried them to the grave. The tomb. But that’s not all!
Where would our hope be if that was it? Where’s the glory in that? Yes, Jesus died for me. But why? To FREE me! And you! From what? Sin. Shame. Agony. Depression. Guilt. Fear. Negativity. Anxiety. Eternal death…..emotional as well as physical.
He willingly….and think on that a moment….willingly carried our burdens up that hill to Calvary so that we might live in freedom from them! That should be enough to bring you to your knees in humble gratitude and awe.
Let’s focus on something now. What happens after Jesus is crucified and buried? His disciples and His loved ones sit together grieving, wondering what’s next. What do they do now? Was that it? All there was to this Man they thought would be with them forever? Suddenly…gone? They were lost in a dark moment…..
Satan had his day of glory. He ruled for one day. And one day only. The darkest of days. The day in which God allowed His only Son to be beaten, brutalized, murdered, humiliated, shamed for all the world to see. The day in which He had to turn His head from His beloved Son because He could not bear to lay eyes on the sins of the world. The day in which Jesus wondered if the Father had forsaken Him…..
But where was the power he claimed to have as the Son of God, this Man they called King of the Jews, the Savior of the world?
Had Satan really won this time? NO! Even the tomb could not hold Jesus of Nazareth. Death could not defeat Him. Chains and whips and nails could not hold Him down! Sunday came. But only after Friday. Friday had to happen first…in order to see His ultimate glory. In order to experience His magnificent power. His eternal victory. His bright Light that shines for all men to see. His resurrection. His promises fulfilled. His hope revealed. His Life restored. His wounds that healed. His body gloriously anew. His anguish resolved.
I praise You, Jesus, for what You’ve done for me!
Go back to our scripture in Isaiah…. “Arise, shine, for your light has come…” Arise. How could we apply that to our lives? Jesus, pull me UP out of my pit of despair and anguish, depression and anxiety! Take the darkness out of my life and light my way! Give me joy! Trust! Hope!
Jesus is the Light of the world. Your Light. And mine. And we, in turn, are to be beacons of light for others who are lost in their darkest of days….
“…but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you.”
That’s hope! Everlasting hope. Can’t you just envision this? You, hunkered down in darkness and despair, uncertainty, worry, fear, anxiety and depression…..and Jesus, the Light of the world, comes near to you, surrounds you with His love and illumines your life with such radiance and peace that you can’t help but shine for others to see! Doesn’t that give you such calm assurance when you picture that? Well…picture it. Because it’s real. And He does it. Each and every moment. When we allow Him to.
Over and over again He pulls us out of that darkened tomb created by worldly events. Do you draw near when He reaches out, or do you turn your back and stumble into the darkness…alone? Do you embrace the Light He offers? Or do you repeatedly reject Him? Many times we reject His gift of Life…. Do you live in agony, or do you live in His presence?
Sometimes we are so covered in darkness that we have a hard time adjusting to the brightness of light! Our minds take some time to re-focus on this transformation. Sometimes we’ll retreat back into the darkness then turn towards the Light once again. And gradually, we will eventually embrace the Light with full force!
What circumstances “buried” you in darkness? Whatever it may be….humiliation, defeat, abuse, grief….remember, Jesus has already won over them. Remember these words…..”He is not here, He is risen!” He experienced them, and then He conquered them! And because He did, we can too.
The price was paid at Calvary. But are we still paying? Isn’t it time to say “enough?” Isn’t it time for you to “arise and shine?” Is it “day three” in your life yet? The choice is yours. And mine. When will we get up out of the pit we fell into? Are you ready for your emotions to be……resurrected? Is it Sunday yet? Or are you still lingering around in the darkness of (your) Friday’s events?
It’s time to get up. Arise….and walk in His magnificent Light. And experience His eternal and everlasting glory!
Lucy Cain
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You hear so clearly the whispers of the Father. It is evident that you have a very close relationship with Him and put it into words so clearly. Blessings.