Jan. 9 - God's Joyful Light

From the First Lesson for this day - Isaiah 60:1-9

On these dreary winter days, who doesn't like to see the sun peeking out through the clouds. I love the snow, I like the cold, and I don't mind the deep shivers that can come in winter.

But I do miss the sun.

Into the mid-winter overcast world come the wonderful words of the Prophet Isaiah:
Arise, shine; for thy light is come!
The glory of the LORD is risen upon thee!
The LORD shall arise upon thee!
His glory shall be seen upon thee!
The Gentiles shall come to thy light!
Kings shall come to the brightness of thy rising!
Lift up thine eyes round about, and see!

The exclamation points are mine, but I think that's what Isaiah meant. There is place and reason to rejoice in the Light of God. These exclamations are transforming.

The thing about light is that it doesn't have to try to shine. It just shines. You know when the faintest light is in a dark room. A candle simply burns. A light bulb just glows. Stars twinkle with ease.

Shining isn't a matter of effort: it is a matter burning the fuel that is within. When the fuel is gone there is no light. The fuel of my life needs to be the glory of the Lord. The shine is His joy.

Am I looking for guidance? "Thy light is come."
Am I feeling blue? "The glory of the Lord is risen upon me."
Does life seem hopeless? "The Lord shall arise upon me."
Where is God at work? "Lift up my eyes round about and see."

The joy of God's like isn't meant to be kept. It is meant to be shared, it is meant to be seen. As the Lord says in the Sermon on the Mount, "You are the light of the world... people [don't] light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

What happens when I experience God's joyful glory? God brings to Himself those who have left Him - or who have never known Him in the first place:
Thy sons shall come from far.
Thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.
The abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee.
The forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.
Midian, Ephah, Sheba, Kedar, Nebaioth, Tarshish, and the far isles will glorify the house of God's glory.

God, help me to let Thy light shine in me. Forgive me when I've tried to contrive a way or to rely on my own personality or persuasions. Amen.