“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” — John 1:5

This has to be one of the most impactful verses in the Bible for me. It puts it all out there in black and white: Light versus dark. Shadow and brightness. The Goodness of God, the very best He could give us — verses the shadowy lies we were fed by the deceiver.

There is a light in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Not even now. Not even through COVID and famine and freak storms of nature, war and floods and waves of depression we had not seen the likes of before. Not even now, when we question the things that seemed so certain before. Not even now when we wonder what exactly all of this is for. Not even now when suffering becomes the norm, when we’re desensitized to the violence and chaos and bitterness of this world.

Not even now.

That light still shines in the darkness. Perpetually. Surpassing time, surpassing the ages of man, surpassing the ends of the earth. That light shines, and the darkness has not overcome it. In 200 years, it will still shine. In 2 billion years, it will still shine. And there is nothing — absolutely nothing — Satan can do about that.

“But how do you know, Katrina?” You might ask. “How are you sure?” Because that light that John wrote about so many, many years ago — that light is Jesus. He was and is the Way, the Truth and the Light yesterday, today and tomorrow. And that light is within us. It stays with us, moving with us through crisis and darkness, seasons of joy, and seasons of pain. That light is closer than our own skin — God for Us. Within us. He loves us and goes where we go, stays where we stay, and rests where we rest.

I see that light glimmering within you. Within me. Within us all. We can take comfort in knowing that no matter where we go, no matter what happens to us, and no matter what comes next — we are going with God. The Lord God Almighty goes with us in that light. And the light shines in the darkness. And the darkness has not overcome it.

Let the Lord light your path this week. Let his presence be made know to us all, no matter where we are or what we are doing. Let us also share that light and shine it bright into our communities, into our fellowship with others and into the world at large.

In Jesus Name,

Amen.