Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God. (Isaiah 50:10, NIV)
Maybe you’ve read the same apocryphal stories I have, stories of interlopers sneaking on to the grounds of Augusta National at midnight and playing a hole or two down at Amen Corner.
And maybe those stories are true, but they always lead me to the same nagging question: How do they do it? It’s dark at midnight!
Sure, I’ve had dreams of playing Augusta, too, but those dreams always take place in the daytime, when I can see what’s before me. Am I crazy? Is that asking too much? Maybe I don’t properly understand the power—and the luminescence—of a full moon.
Here’s what I do understand though: There is a difference between darkness and light. Not just in the physical. In the spiritual. And while the opening verse of Genesis consider the former, it is the latter—the darkness and the light in the way men and women live their lives—that stands as a recurring theme of Scripture. And that theme always leads to the same conclusion: You want to walk in the light.
Many of the references to darkness and light, which we will explore every few days over the next couple of weeks, come from the mouth of Jesus. Today, though, we will consider the prophecy of Isaiah, fulfilling his calling to cry out to the lost on behalf of the Lord. There is salvation waiting for those who respond to the call of God, Isaiah voiced over and over. But you must respond.
In chapter 50, just ahead of painting a picture of the eternal salvation granted to those who believe in the work of the Savior who would suffer, Isaiah noted that two walks are possible in one’s life—a walk in the darkness or a walk in the light.
Because of our sin, all of us begin where it is dark. But we do not need to stay there. We can trust in the Lord, we can rely on God. We can emerge from the darkness that shrouds our every move when we are separated from Christ. We can step into his light. Those who make this choice live, as Christ would say, abundantly. Their steps are stable, even on the rockiest ground.
Sadly, as Isaiah went on to write in verse 11, others light flaming torches, attempting to provide their own measure of light. And that is all the light they will ever have. Not the brightness of day, but a temporal, limited glow. Those who make this choice will be left to their own devices, receiving no help from the God they do not want. That is a tragic eternity.
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Jeff Hopper
October 8, 2015
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.