From the Gospel of John chapter 8, verse 12
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
She never would have guessed that this would be the night that she would have a nightmare. And yet it came. She woke up terrified in her sleeping bag nestled in the tent.
For weeks she had been waiting for this camping trip, longing for it. So far it had been everything she wanted. The cave tour was particularly wonderful. The thing that impressed her the most was the dark.
When they were deep into the cave, the guide said, “I’m going to turn off the lights, and it will become totally dark. No walking, no talking, just experience total darkness.”
The guide flipped three switches and one by one, the strands of lights in the cave went off. The tour group was engulfed in total darkness. After a few seconds, the guide said, “Raise your hand so it’s right in front of your face. Wave it back and forth. It can’t be seen.”
It was amazing and a bit frightening to not be able to see anything. It felt like a thick blanket was over the crowd of people. The guide continued, “Now, I’m going to light a single match. Notice what it does to the cave.”
The guide struck the match on the flint. The sound and the sudden glow were simultaneous. Suddenly she could see again. She could see the whole crowd from her tour group. She could see the walls and ceiling of the cavern she was in—all from a single match.
That night after sunset, she sat by the campfire. The blaze of the branches and logs seemed to have new meaning. Any one of those sticks could light up an entire cave of darkness.
Her flashlight in her hand, she made her way down the trail to the bathroom. She heard something moving through the woods. Her light caught the yellow eyes of a raccoon. It startled her, and she quickly moved away from the creature. When she left the bathroom, she walked the camp road, not the dirt path.
Sleep came easy, but in the middle of the night, she dreamt she was walking along a hiking trail. Her footing gave way, and the earth opened up. She rolled deep underground and found herself in total darkness. She couldn’t see anything, but she heard something walking on the stones near her.
“Who’s there?” she asked. There was no response. The sound of footsteps on loose gravel kept getting closer and finally she saw it. Yellow eyes coming from the ground. Not just one set of eyes, but dozens of them surrounding her. That’s when she woke up. She laid in her sleeping bag shaking.
After a couple of minutes, she noticed through the screen window of the tent the stars shining brightly in the sky. She slipped out of her sleeping bag and unzipped the door of the tent. There were no street lights, no fires, no lanterns.
Tilting her head back, her jaw went slack as she looked at the sky. She saw more stars than she could ever remember, all set in the beautiful blackness of night. She felt she was standing in God’s house. A tremendous calm came over her, she yawned and returned to the tent where she fell peacefully back to sleep.
Do you sometimes feel like you are stuck in total darkness, no way out.
Our passage from scripture today is reassuring. Jesus is the light of the world. No matter your situation, Jesus can bring light to help you.
Sometimes, all we need is a single match to suddenly see everything clearly. Kindle a prayer in your heart. Waiting for you in the dark is the light of the world.
Now let’s take 30 seconds t
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