Last Sunday evening I was tasked with the job of preaching on Isaiah chapter 9 at my church, continuing a series which other members of the church had been speaking on. The title I was given was 'Hope in times of Darkness'. This passage is where Isaiah prophesizes the coming of a child, a son, one that will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace.
After spending a few minutes exploring what darkness means, relating examples in the earlier chapters of Isaiah to the society that we live in today; materialism, partying, calling evil good and visa-versa, a refusal to trust God and the seeking of guidance in the wrong places, I moved on to sharing an image that God had given to me about a year ago and how that image applies to every single one of us, not just in times of darkness but in every part of our daily lives.
The image that God had given to me previously was one of a single candle, surrounded by darkness. A single candle, alight, in the distance, flickering faintly. In this image I began to move closer to the flickering candle and as I did so, the flame started to become stronger, started to shine brighter, and started to fill the darkness that surrounded it. Then I started to move back away from the light and it started to become faint again, becoming consumed by the darkness. The significant thing however, was that the flame never went out. It was faint, it was surrounded by darkness but it never went out.
This flame represents Jesus. In represents that light inside all of us which is that child that Isaiah prophesied, the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace, that child that is of course, Jesus, the light of the world. The candle flame in the image God gave me is Jesus in our lives, there amongst the darkness, waiting for us to move closer to Him.
As represented by the image, the closer we put ourselves to the flame, the brighter it shines and the more of the darkness it consumes. As we move closer to Jesus, as we spend more time with Jesus, as we try and live our lives in a way which is more pleasing to Jesus, we allow that flame, Jesus to shine brighter in our lives. That flame, that light has the power to consume that darkness which surrounds it, the darkness which is all around us in society and that darkness that lives inside of our own hearts. Being closer to Jesus, allowing His light to shine brighter gives Him more control in our lives.
Of course, it is often easier to step back from that light isn't it. It's often easier to find reasons or excuses to stand back and allow that flame to flicker faintly in the background of our lives, allowing the darkness around and inside of us to dominate, to overwhelm our hearts, our mind and our lives. The real significance of this image is that the flame, Jesus never goes out. Jesus will never leave us on our own, He is always there, waiting for you to approach Him again.
So where are you going to choose to walk today. Are you going to walk closer to the light, defeating the darkness. Or are you going to walk away from the light and let the darkness rule?
'For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.' Isaiah 9:6
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