“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.” Isaiah 60: 1-2 (KJV)
Sometimes situations and circumstances can cause you to fall into a state of oppression and even depression. If you’re not careful, although physically you are alive, you are really not living. You become oblivious to everything, even numb, going from day to day “just trying to make it.” God knew what you would face, so thousands of years ago he addressed it. He had the prophet Isaiah give out a clarion call, first to children of Israel and to Abraham’s seed. He prophesied of a light that would come. That great light would eradicate all mankind’s frailties. It would give give him a clean slate, a fresh start, and a road map to the abundant life. Jesus, the light of the world has come, and is now at the right hand of the Father. Just because Jesus came, does not mean Satan left, for he still seeks whom he may devour, and we often give him residence. It’s time to get up.
The passage says we should arise, or reposition ourselves. Change direction and move forward. Raise up from the drunken-like stupor of the status quo because the light has come. What does that mean? The light of the word of God is revealed more and more as you study the word; as you submit to and hear your spiritual leaders. The illumination of the word dissipates all darkness. Once you know your heritage and what you are entitled to, why not take action. A person who knows where they are going shines or they emit light. You can see the light of confidence on them. That’s the key. Confidence is what I believe many of us are lacking. Confidence in the word of God that it will do what it says even though all outward signs show the opposite. The truth is, whatever you need has already been created. God doesn’t have to conjure up a miracle for you. It’s done. Don’t believe Satan’s hype. There’s plenty of darkness in the world, so light should be relatively easy to identify. Start with surrounding yourself with people who emit light. Don’t be afraid to fail. The only failure is not doing anything at all. Failure is defined as failing to try. So what if you’ve tried once. Now you know what not to do, so go at it again. The glory of the Lord is risen up on you. You can not be defeated. The light has come and you’ve got that light in you and up on you. Check out the rest of Isaiah chapter 60 and see what God has in store for you.
Credits: Special thanks to Dr. Ramson Mumba (United Kingdom) for his teaching on Sunday, May 24, 2009 at New life Interfaith Ministries, Bessemer, AL.
© Fredrick F. Nicholson all rights reserved.
