Listen

Arise! Shine! Your light has come; the Lord’s glory has shone upon you. Though darkness covers the earth and gloom the nations, the Lord will shine upon you; God’s glory will appear over you. Nations will come to your light and kings to your dawning radiance.

Lift up your eyes and look all around: they are all gathered; they have come to you. Your sons will come from far away, and your daughters on caregivers’ hips. Then you will see and be radiant; your heart will tremble and open wide, because the sea’s abundance will be turned over to you; the nations’ wealth will come to you. Countless camels will cover your land, young camels from Midian and Ephah. They will all come from Sheba, carrying gold and incense, proclaiming the Lord’s praises.

Isaiah 60:1-6

Think

An atheist and I got into an argument. We traded opinions on heaven, hell, prayer, the death penalty, black holes, fifteen billion years of evolution, and which one of us had the worse experience in Sunday school.

As you would guess, neither one of us changed the other’s mind. My atheist friend wants verifiable proof. He puts it, “No evidence, no belief.” Ultimately, I have to admit that what I hold as true is impossible to prove. I believe that once in a while I see a glimmer of God’s light.

Isaiah cannot prove he has seen a flash of light in the middle of a stormy night. The prophet lives in dark times, but he shouts, “Rise and shine. Get out of bed. God is here.”

Just when it looks like the sun will never rise again, dawn is about to break.

When school, our family, or our friendships are hard, we need to remember that no matter how dark it gets, God shines a light to give us hope.

Brett Younger

Pray

God, you are the light of the world and my light. Be with me when I am worried and frightened. Shine the light of your goodness into the dark corners of my life. Amen.

Go

Once you were in darkness, but now by the grace of God you have seen the light and become light.

Live today as a child of God’s light.