Darkness; utter, bleak, and desolate. Its sheer volume is overwhelming, like a vortex attempting to swallow everything in its presence. It is the giant in the room like the invading hordes of hell. It is the overwhelming presence of Sauron’s army from the land of Mordor or the imposing Death Star and the Empire behind it.
Darkness comes in many forms. I’m thinking of the darkness that descended over Egypt the night of the first Passover. I’m thinking of the darkness covering Europe as Adolf Hitler and his band of Nazis pursued their hideous bloodthirst and murderous campaign. I’m thinking of the bleak four hundred years from Malachi to Jesus, when the world was dark, and God was quiet. There is the darkness of death and disease, of war and of violence. Darkness seems ubiquitous and unconquerable. I am grateful things are not always what they seem.
Into the darkness and into the void, God spoke, “let there be light” and there was. Light was and hope was. Something, out of nothing. Creation. And light has never ceased shining from those first words of creation through today. There have been dark days and dark times, but light remains.
And light is triumphant and victorious. No matter the devastation or heaviness of the dark, the smallest of light shines. And we are like shepherds in the field at night, laboring in the dreary and dark, waiting for light and hope, while we mind our business and work our fields.
Scripture records that “the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned” (Matthew 4:16 NIV).