To Phos Tou Kosmou: light of the world
“I am the light of the world.
If you follow Me, you won’t be stumbling through the darkness,
Because you will have the light that leads to light.”
John 8:12
NLT
The Meaning of His Name:
God sits on a throne of light. He revealed Himself to Moses in as a burning bush, lighting up the desert with His presence. He wrapped Himself in a pillar of light to lead His people out of the darkness of slavery. He flashed a streak of blinding light to get Paul’s attention.
God basks in light.
When I was a little girl growing up in the tiny village of Oberhurchstadt, Germany, we often had tremendous thunder and lightening storms. In fact, a tall metal spire to draw the lightening away from the roof— just in case, topped every house in our village. One night, especially thunderous hail pounding against our tile roof had me cowering as close to my Dad as I could get. He wrapped his arm around me and spoke reassuringly of how safe we really were.
Boom! Oh, that’s just the lightening rod on the roof, taking the brunt of the storm.
Crash! Probably just a few roof tiles, nothing to worry about.
Bang! Mmh, we must have a shutter loose somewhere, I’ll fix it in the morning.
But when the lights went out, cloaking our cozy home in sinister darkness, my terror reached a turning point. Words from my father meant nothing. I was just too afraid to hear him.
And so my loving dad did what he’d always done when fear overwhelmed me.
He fixed it.
Handing this histrionic prone girl to my less-than-fully sympathetic mother (a woman who honestly is not afraid of anything), he simply got up and found a flashlight. Then he lit the beautiful Tyrolean carved candles on the coffee table, creating an aura of safety for his family.
He didn’t scold. He wouldn’t allow my big brother to laugh (though I definitely recall a snicker from his corner). He just brought me some beautiful light to ease my fear.
God knows how terrifying the darkness is.
In the dark we hurt ourselves, we get lost and feel intensely alone.
Darkness is dangerous. And frightening.
Knowing this, Jesus gave Himself a new name: Light of the World. By His name He banished the darkness, flooded our lives with light, and opened the world of His Kingdom.
Are you confused about what to do? How to think? Where to go?
Are you tired of bumping into people, leaving bruised bodies behind?
Have you succumbed to insecurity?
Let Him shine Himself into your darkness by inviting Him to be who He is to you.
He is… the Light of the World.
From my heart,
Diane
John 8:12
John 9:5
John 1:1-5
Isaiah 9:2
Isaiah 60:2
Matthew 17:1-2
I John 1:5-7
Psalm 139:11-12
Micah 7:7-8
I Timothy 6:13-16
Psalm 104:1-2