As I was thinking about the darkness in the world and the church as revealed in the book Shepherds for Sale by Megan Basham, I saw a vision. I was not only enlightened by the vision; I was encouraged that it confirmed my wishful youthfulness, as my prophet namesake, Joel, declared:
“your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.” Acts 2:16-17, Joel 2:28
In my vision, I saw a group of people stumbling around in a pitch-black room. They were running into each other and tripping over multiple objects. I heard people shouting, “Somebody should turn on the light.” Then God whispered something only the Christians in the room could hear: “Be somebody. Be the light.” Some believers declared, “Jesus is the light. He needs to come light this darkness.” Others said, “I wonder if there are any pastors in here? They could bring the light.” The Lord reiterated with, “You, be the light.”
As believers began to ask, “Who me?” Jesus spoke, “Yes, you.” Those who fixed their eyes on the direction of Jesus’ voice noticed that their hearts started to glow. Then their mouths, feet, and hands began lighting up so that even the unbelievers could see. In John 8:12, Jesus declared to a crowd, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” He also proclaimed, “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (John 9:5). He later told his disciples:
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16
As followers and disciples of Jesus and His body in the world, we are the light of the world. As the darkness encroaches on every area of our culture with families disintegrating, churches going woke, media spewing lies, the arts promoting vileness, educators indoctrinating, and the government enacting tyranny, we need to remember that it is always darkest before the dawn. As the bible puts it:
The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, shining ever brighter until full daylight. Proverbs 4:18
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