Not long ago I was down in Texas for one of our Joni and Friends events and I had a chance one night to be way out in the hill country, far beyond San Antonio. We were miles away from any city lights and I was so very glad the forecast called for a clear night. I was glad the moon wasn’t up. Plus, I was even excited that the event was running late. That’s because I knew when it was over, when I would finally have a chance to wheel outside, I would be able to look up and see the stars. I had always heard about the stars above south Texas and now I would have a chance to see them firsthand.
It was about 9:00 at night and even after I went outside and wheeled toward our cabin, I had to keep my eyes shut for a few minutes to let them adjust. Finally I looked up and saw (oh boy, what am I looking at here? Is something wrong with my eyes, I thought? Yes, I see stars, lots of them, but I’m also looking at these big splotches… what are these splotches, are my eyes getting old or what? What is this?). Well, I was disappointed that I might not be able to see the stars the way I’ve always heard them described. So I shut my eyes for a few more minutes; maybe it would make a difference. When I opened them again, yes, there were more stars, but still there were those big white splotches. That’s when I looked closer, and I realized, oh, my goodness, those big splotches were clusters, they were cluster of stars. This was the thick part of the Milky Way and I was looking up into millions and millions of stars on top of one another looking like they were clumped together. I had never seen such a sight. Never! I was astounded.
In John chapter 8, Jesus says, “I am the Light of the World.” And then He adds, “The Light shines in the darkness.” Isn’t it amazing how a brilliant night sky over south Texas can bear that out as true? The darker it is, the more brightly shines the Light. The more clearly you can see things. I know that you, just like me, have experienced dark nights of the soul, as an old saint once wrote. In the dark, when we are weak, when we are in the tunnel, down in the cave, in the pit… the light of Christ can shine brightest because nothing is there to camouflage it.
Isaiah 50:10 speaks to this powerful principle when it says, “Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.” That’s you, isn’t it? You’ve been there, haven’t you? You have walked in the dark during times when there is absolutely no light. Oh, but if you would look up and see… let your eyes of faith adjust for a minute… and see what’s really there. Or I should say, who is there. And closer, much closer than even those stars in south Texas that I felt like I could reach out and touch… reach out and trust in the name of the Lord, would you, and rely on Him. Darkness may be all around you, but He is the Light of the World. And that means your world, too.
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 93176
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