"God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all," (1 John 1:5, esv).
I like this one, y'all. I like this verse because it is short and sweet and to the point.
So often it seems like there is more darkness than light in this world, darkness that is so thick and suffocating that it threatens to choke out my faith. I have crawled through seasons of unspeakable doubt, only to find that God's light was there all along.
I know that God sometimes allows the darkness to come. Without it, we'd never know how much we needed His light. But also at times I believe that my thoughts get it twisted and I start to believe the lie that God created the dark thing.
This. Is. False. A lie from Satan himself to pull me even deeper in the dark. Because this verse says it all: in Him there is no darkness. None. He did not create it. God only creates good things, out of His abundant love and light. How brightly it all shines, those good things He's created!
I read a book recently by Episcopal priest Dennis Maynard that says this:
"God gave us a garden. We live in a jungle."
God's intentions have always been and will always be for our good. The world has strayed far from the garden He created; nevertheless, He created it. Maynard goes on to say later in his book that the earth therefore is not a bad place because God does not create bad things. "The pathway back to the garden," he says, "is marked by forgiveness, compassion, and understanding." He says that it is our mission to "respond to the radical demands of the gospel."
Which leads me to think of another verse, 2 Corinthians 4:6...
"For God who said, 'Let light shine out of the darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God's glory in the face of Jesus Christ."
That's right. God's light is the evidence of His glory, and He put His glory in each of us. When Jesus came and died on the cross for our sins, He ensured that we would never walk through such darkness alone. He sent His Holy Spirit to dwell in us, like a personal glow stick to guide us through this side of heaven and into eternity.
We are not alone in the dark. And we as children of God are not inherently dark. God would not share a dwelling place with darkness, which means that we shine His light.
What a comfort to know that God, who is light, lives and dwells within us.