LIGHTS OUT

LIGHTS OUT

                On Friday night in the middle of the night Bonnie woke me to inform me that the electricity was off. We got out of bed and started feeling our way through the pitch darkness to a drawer in the hallway where we keep flashlights. The blackness was so black that you could feel it, like an oppressive cloak of limitations.

                Finding our flashlights we went to the front porch to see if the neighbor’s lights were off as well. They have a big yard light that dispels some of the darkness at night, but their lights were off  too and we could see their wandering flashlights through the trees.

                One does not realize how many sources of light we have in our homes to stave off the isolation of darkness. There are the digital clocks in the bedroom, the coffee maker clock in the kitchen, a little red light of the refrigerator, a night light in the hall. Everywhere in the house there are little lights that cast enough of a comforting light so that you can see where you are going.

                After a few dark minutes you start thinking about the implications.   Do we still have water pressure in the faucets? What about the food in the refrigerator and the generator out in the workshop. How does that thing work anyway? Do you need an extension cord with two male ends, one end to plug into the generator and one to plug into the outdoor socket on the house? Or do you have to somehow move the refrigerator out from the wall and connect it directly to the generator?

                Finally I said to Bonnie. “We might as well go back to sleep and wait for daylight. The electricity will most likely come back on anyway.” So we did and it did and all was well by morning.

                We don’t realize how dependent we are on electricity until it goes off and when it does, a dark wall of limitations crowds in on you as you begin to think of all the things that you depend on like air conditioning and lights and washer and dryer and lights and water, computers,  and a host of other things that make life work these days.

                One of the thoughts that ran through my mind was the darkness of night that our forefathers endured just a few generations back. When they blew out the candles at bedtime they were in absolute darkness, especially on cloudy nights when there was no light from the moon and stars. What a relief it must have been when morning came and life returned to the cosmos.

                When the lights go out, we suddenly realize what a big deal it is to have electricity. When the lights go out, we as Christians begin hearing Bible texts in our minds: “The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life. Whom shall I dread?” Ps. 27:1

                “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” Psalms 119: 105

                Jesus said to the people of His day and to us in our day: “I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12

                John in speaking about Jesus said:  “In Him was life and the life was the light of men.  And the light shines in the darkness but the darkness did not comprehend it.” John 1:5 and again in verse 9 he says: “There was a true light which coming into the world enlightens every man.”

                Even a single candle can change everything when you are in complete darkness. It comes as a relief when the oppressive darkness is dispelled even if by one flickering light.

                Even as we sometimes take for granted our ubiquitous dependence upon electricity, so we as Christians sometimes begin to take for granted the tremendous difference it makes that we have the Word of God and the brightness of His Holy Spirit. But when the spiritual lights begin to fade in our lives and darkness closes in on our soul, we suddenly realize that we have been letting the candles burn low       and we are overwhelmed by a hunger for the peace and light of God’s presence. We fall on our knees and confess that we have strayed from the light and we cry out to Him to relight the fire in us that once burned bright and clear.

                A 15^th century orthodox monk, whose name we do not know said this:

                “Brother, do you understand just who the Holy Spirit is? The Holy Spirit is pre-eternal light; He is life, mind and power, whose depths no mortal- nor even angelic powers- can attain or describe! The Holy Spirit is God, the third Person of the Holy Trinity, proceeding from the Father and abiding with the Son, glorified together and reigning upon the same throne with Them. The Holy spirit is the most wonderful of all that is in the world.” And continuing on he said:

                “Brother, do you know Who the Holy Spirit is? If you say “Yes, I know” you are in grave error, and I fear for you, because only God knows Himself, as the Apostle says, the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 2:11) It is typical of heretics to “fraternize” with the Holy Spirit, but we Orthodox are expected to utter the very name of the Holy Spirit with fear and trembling. If you say, “No I don’t know,” I likewise fear for you and grieve for you, because this indicates that your life is still a dark night. Brother we must know the Holy Spirit according to the little that we are able, because if the Holy Spirit does not dwell in you, you are not Christ’s; if the Holy Spirit does not touch your heart in this life, woe to you, because you are still spiritually dead.”  (Romans 8:9-10)

                The 15^thcentury has been called part of the Dark Ages, for the Word of God had been suppressed  and through religion man had sought to take the place of God and so a certain darkness reigned over the people. But there was light during those times as well, just like the light of this unknown monk who loved the Lord and found the Holy Spirit to be the most precious thing in this world.

                Likewise in our own time, we are entering into a new Dark Ages called the Tribulation period or the Time of Jacob’s Trouble. The antichrist will rise and authority will be given to him for 42 months (3 ½ years.) And it will be given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them; and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation will be given to him. And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, every one whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.” Rev 13:7-8

                We are heading into a time when the lights will go out and the only light that we will have will be the light of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. Then we will find out how much we have been living by the eternal things of the Holy Spirit and the Word, or how much we have been living in darkness while investing in the temporary things that will pass away.

                Then we will be hunting for our flashlights and candles and we will be discovering just how ready we were for earth’s dark night.

                In Hebrews 12 we are told that a great shaking is coming that will shake out everything that can be shaken out. And that which will be shaken out will be the created things, the man made things, the temporary things so that only that which is eternal will remain.

                In our discussions on quantum physics, we learned that what the Bible says is scientifically true. The things which are seen are temporary, while the things that are unseen are eternal. Therefore let us invest in eternal things so that when the shaking occurs, we will remain. The Bible says to “Seek first the kingdom of heaven and His righteousness, then the temporary things that we need in this life, will be added.

                Make sure that your life is animated by the Holy Spirit, for the same 15^th century monk said:

                “And so, after the Lord’s ascension in the flesh and until Pentecost, the holy Apostles awaited the coming of the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet descended, the Church had no yet received that invaluable, precious gift. The Body of the Church was still soulless, in-animated, as it were. The Holy Spirit had not yet come to give life to and to animate the Church of Christ; the heart of the church had not yet begun to beat.” (The above quotes from the book: “Reflections of a Humble Heart.”)

                Is the light precious to you? Do you live by the light of the Holy Spirit and the Word? Is your life animated by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit or are you sort of stumbling along in darkness?

                Jesus, the Light of the world, is just a prayer away. Your darkness can come to an end if you will call on Him… and by all means attend a church that is animated by the light of the Holy Spirit, for the church is God’s earthly source of fellowship with others that walk in the light. Learning to love the brethren is a part of our training and a pathway to maturity. Many candles shining together can lead many a lost soul out of darkness and into the light.