![[Photo of a Scripture verse]](https://www.deankwilson.com/Blog_images/John_1_4-5.jpg)
| “In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it.” |
| —John 1:4-5 |
Some of the most impenetrable darkness occurs when firefighters enter a burning building where smoke and hot gases have filled the compartment. The particle density in the space has risen to a level where a thick, darkened shield tends to block the passage of light. Any light that does try to reach into the hidden portions of the compartment reflect back at the source of the light in a manner that makes forward progress fraught with confusion and disorientation.
As I’ve shared on this blog previously, today’s firefighters rely on very powerful beams of light generated by a carefully engineered cluster of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). Even so, this very narrowly focused beam of light often has difficulty penetrating for more than a few feet through the blackened cloud of smoke and hot gases.
I cannot over-emphasize the importance of light to firefighters. In addition to the light-blocking cloud of smoke and hot gases, many serious fires occur during nighttime hours. This makes fire ground operations all the more difficult.
Interestingly, impenetrable darkness often clouds our spiritual formation, too. We cannot penetrate the cloud of sin-caused darkness that Satan has propagated throughout our world. Just as with firefighting, God’s Light plays a critically important role in spiritual development. That’s why the words of the Apostle John, as he writes about the Lord Jesus Christ, have such importance. Please notice what John states in John 1:4-5:
In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it.
Jesus is the Light that overcomes darkness. In fact, Jesus is “darkness-overcoming.” It is one of His most important attributes. In the course of our spiritual formation and spiritual development, we can rely on the words and example of our Savior to provide exactly the Light we need to pierce the darkness around us.
As we walk through this day, let’s determine to follow the Light. If we do, the path will open up before us. We will move forward with the ability to see as clearly as possible. And, we will no longer be hindered by the darkness of this sin-cursed world.
