LET THERE BE LIGHT- GOODMORNING

Let There Be Light
by Cara Hanson

Genesis 1:3-5
(3) And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
(4) God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.
(5) God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning–the first day.

When God wanted light, He didn’t flip on a light switch. Unlike man, there was no bulb to replace, no muttering under his breath, no trip to the hardware store to buy more bulbs, along with a new power tool that he would never use but was on sale for a limited time only. No, when God wanted light, He spoke it into being. That’s why He is such an awesome God! Even Thomas Edison, the lighting Wizard (genius) of Menlo Park, could not achieve such a feat.

In the mid 1980s, someone invented a device called The Clapper. This sound -activated electrical switch allowed people to turn lights on with only a clap of their hands. Suddenly people all over the world were singing, “Clap on! Clap off!” and relishing their new authority. They thought, “Oh, the thrill of finally being in control of something! The power is so intoxicating!” But the power was fleeting, and God had the last laugh. The Clapper could also sometimes be triggered by coughing, a dog’s bark, or loud appliances. Imagine how embarrassing it would have been for God if the heavenly hosts sang praises at His creation, and the lights went out. Thankfully, there was no such design flaw in His plan.

Our three young children have trouble understanding many of the Old Testament records, but the plagues on Egypt really grabbed their attention. What was most upsetting to them was not the thought of being infested with lice or locusts, but rather the Plague of Darkness. They could not let this one go. “But they had flashlights, right, Mommy?” How interesting that these kids would rather have frogs jump out of their Cheerios than have total darkness and have to… (shudder) go to bed.

God considers darkness to be a plague. We often focus on the other more “dramatic” plagues, but we can’t ignore the fact that He was trying to communicate something here. What is it about darkness that is so horrible? Children often develop a fear of the dark, and with good reason. For one thing, we can’t see where we are going. We also can’t see what is near us or what might hurt us.

Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

One of the reasons God wants us to study the Bible daily is that we need it for our daily guidance. When we neglect His Word, we often can’t figure out why our lives are going in the wrong direction. I don’t know about you, but when the power goes out, I turn on the light switch almost every time I enter a room. It takes me a few clueless seconds before I slap my forehead and realize why the light isn’t working. There is no power source! Similarly, when we finally plug into God’s Word, the light comes on in our minds and hearts.

Psalm 19:8
The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

Shining Our Lights
Children are drawn to the light. Our kids love Christmas lights so much that I decided to use them to help us all walk better for our Lord. I explained to them that Jesus was the light of the world (John 8:12). Now that we can’t physically see him anymore, someone else had better keep that light shining. Every time they looked at the Christmas tree, the lights were supposed to remind them to “shine their lights” for Jesus. They would grin from ear to ear like a Cheshire cat, so we still use the expression, “Shine your lights!” year-round to spur them out of a slump. They can relate to this concept because they understand that the tree looks far prettier with lights than without. Of course, the same principle should be applied to adults.

When God said, “Let there be light,” it wasn’t just for that moment in time. He wants our light all of the time. When we stray from the light of His heart, we walk in darkness. God is still saying, “Let there be light” to our hearts. If you have ever fumbled around in the middle of the night and bumped into furniture, you have experienced pain that signals to your brain, “Please turn on a light.” God loves us as His own children, and He does not want us to get hurt.

The god of hurt, Satan, has “blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel” (2 Cor. 4:4). Since that is the case, we should be cranking up our floodlights to draw people to the heart of God. I have seen many unbelievers become attracted to the light shone by Christians. I have also seen unbelievers become confused by Christians who swear, lie, or treat others badly. If people are already walking in darkness, what good will we do them if we are also walking in darkness? That would just be the “blind leading the blind.” After all:

1 John 1:5-7
(5) This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
(6) If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.
(7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

Our kids have the right idea to despise the darkness. Light is warm and comforting, and it reflects the character of both our Lord and our Father. One day, Christians will bask in this light eternally. The following verse is reassuring to both children and adults:

Revelation 22:5
There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light…

What a loving Father we have! He has given us His word that one day we will no longer have to grapple with darkness. There will be no more light bulbs or even lamps. Best of all, there will be no more spiritual darkness, just the light of God forever.

Until the eternal kingdom of light, we still have a responsibility before the Lord to walk in light. The good news is that this is a pleasant, not grievous, duty. When we walk in light, our lives are blessed, and we are in close fellowship with our Lord. We have joy and peace in our hearts knowing that we are doing God’s will. How many times have we heard from our parents (or ourselves) to turn the light off when we leave a room? When it comes to our daily walk, God says it is okay to “leave the light on” and LET THERE BE LIGHT!