Advent Devotion – A Light Shines in the Darkness – Day 5

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
Isaiah 60:1-3

Your Light Has Come!

Getting up can be a struggle at this time of year. I’d rather stay in bed. The to-do lists are long, but my energy level is low. Then I read Isaiah’s words: “Arise, shine!” How?

In today’s reading, toward the end of his book, Isaiah paints a picture of a new day that will come: “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.” Luke shows us how this new day finally arrived: In the middle of the night, the angel of the Lord appeared to shepherds in a field. The glory of the Lord shone around them. The Savior was born! The light has come!

The angel told the shepherds, “You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12). Our light isn’t a distant, spiritual being, but a real human being—Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Mary. A little baby.

Isaiah told Israel: This is your light. But it’s also for the nations. Jesus is the light of all people. We all need this light. Left to ourselves, we would remain covered in the darkness of sin. We needed the Lord himself to intervene—and he did. The Lord entered the deep darkness of sin, carried it, and took it away. We’re no longer covered in sin, but clothed in his light!

But I don’t always have sunny days. I have gloomy days. I know darkness of different kinds: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. What about those times when we feel like a smoldering wick? Can we still arise and shine?

Absolutely. Yes, because our light has come. We are not the light—Jesus is.

I don’t know how, but by God’s grace, we reflect his light. We smile. We ask, “How are you?” and genuinely want to know. We say things like, “You know, God loves you.” We shine. An unbelieving friend of mine who battles depression calls me her “sunshine.” It’s an overstatement, but I gladly accept it. I stay close. I pray for her and trust God’s promise that his light draws people to himself.

It’s Advent, a season of waiting and anticipation. We wait for Christmas, but we also wait for Jesus’ second coming. Then we will truly arise and shine forever! We’ll see Jesus, our light, with our own eyes. All darkness will be gone forever.

“Arise, shine, for your light has come.” By God’s grace, you can get up and tackle your daily tasks—however many or few, big or small. But if this is a time when you need to rest, lie down in the certainty that you have peace with God. Your sins are covered. God’s face is shining upon you. He’s smiling. He loves you.

Prayer: Jesus, you are my light in every season of darkness. When I struggle to get up, remind me that you have already risen for me. Help me reflect your light to others, especially those who need to see your love today. Amen.

Written by Rakel Drechsler