Unstuck – Week Three

By nature, I am not an adventurous person, but following God has pushed me out of my comfort zone and led me to exciting places. One journey I will never forget was my visit to the Philippines. In my time there, I traveled to remote villages far beyond the paved road. Each place opened my eyes to see God’s power in a new way. Years later I can still picture people gathering for worship in lean-tos and simple huts, believers dedicating themselves to God as they were baptized in the river, and pastors sharing God’s love through rice distribution and song.

One day, we traveled for hours through sand and water in a vehicle I am told was a World War II weapon carrier. The pastors with us would normally walk, but us Americans were not ready for the ten-hour trek. Shortly before we headed out of the village, our Filipino driver and companions removed the tires for some repair work. Once completed, we piled on (and I mean literally piled on) for the journey home.

Not far into our drive, as we passed through water, the vehicle stopped. A problem with an axle and a missing piece meant we would now travel on foot. After walking for some time through sand and water we reached a large expanse of water that the pastors determined was too deep to forge. We sat down and waited on another vehicle promising to come to our rescue.

Before long the sun set and we were in utter darkness. With no life for miles and miles, the dark was darker than any I had experienced before. As you can imagine, myself and the other Americans were beginning to wish we had added a few more items to our backpacks and wondering just how long we would be here. Would we be spending the night? Would we have to walk the rest of the way back to the road come morning?

But then we saw it. Light in the dark.

In that deep darkness, the oncoming brightness could be seen at a great distance. I remember the beams of the headlights at first shone as one light about the size of a dime. And that small glow gave us hope. The closer it came the brighter it shone. Soon the vehicle we had abandoned many hours before, now repaired, was here to take us home.

Being stuck that dark night taught me a valuable lesson – light shines brightest on the darkest backdrop.

In the book of Luke, Zechariah describes Jesus coming as the Sunrise from on high. Light is a picture of Jesus and represents the message of the gospel. He shinse into the death and darkness of the world, offering hope and redemption. The apostle Paul explains it this way, “For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6 NASB)

In a year with more than its fair share of uncertainty, darkness can feel extra present. Hopes and dreams for what would be accomplished in 2020 have been abandoned. Our plans for the future are uncertain at best. Like my journey in the Philippines, we may feel stuck in a desert place, unsure of our next steps.

Do you remember how Jesus described his followers? The light of the world. We are a city on a hill that cannot be hidden. On the backdrop of deep darkness, the brightness of God shines strong and powerful.

What if when these dark days threaten us and we want to give up hope, God is preparing to shine brightest? And what if in our pain and problems, God wants to display His light through us?

Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father how is in heaven. Matthew 5:16

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18

For this momentary, light affliction is producing in us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18