imminent dawn

Light dawns in the darkness for the upright;

he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.

Psalm 112:4

I’m thinking about this passage as I sit in the pre-dawn darkness, seeking to hear from the Lord and see direction in His light. And it is for me a striking image that comes to my mind as I reflect on the imagery here in this psalm. I don’t think I have known more darkness than this last year. It has been a kind of engulfing arctic night around the world, swallowing up even those closest to me. 

I was just talking yesterday with a Christian friend about how disrupted the last twelve months have been... How we all thought two or three weeks of intentional quarantine would end the worst of the pandemic, only to still be overwhelmed by it one year later. And in this time I’ve lost people I love, been forced to change plans and lifestyle countless times, and grieved with friends who have lost loved ones to this crisis. All the removal of outward distractions have led to deeper questions for most of us.

It sure will be nice to see a sunrise again! It’s like a lifetime of gray rain clouds have been hanging around. Yet God is faithful. He has promised that for those who trust Him, The Light will dawn over the darkness. Light will win out. The bright Day will again dawn in our lives. And it even now leads us to spread Christ’s Light. To paraphrase the apostle John: “...the true light, which gives light to everyone, has come into the world” (John 1:9).

Jesus is the light dawning on this current dark horizon. The gospel breaks the grip of this cold arctic night! Jesus pierces the darkness, brings the new day, fills us with grace, mercy, and righteousness so that we can spread them in a dark world. How do we withstand this darkness? Only in His light! Cursing the darkness is a fool’s losing pre-occupation! In Jesus there is the true dawning of what will massively change this world. We have His word to pay attention to as a lamp that grows brighter as a dawn on our horizon (see 2 Peter 1:19). I will then wait for the inevitable break of this dawn.