Lynne Baab • Wednesday January 15 2025
The psalmist sees God as “wrapped in light as with a garment” (Psalm 104:2). “I am the light of the world,” says Jesus (John 8:12). When John sees Jesus in a vision, Jesus’s face is “like the sun shining with full force” (Revelation 1:16). Later in Revelation, Jesus calls himself the “bright morning star” (22:16).
For the past several years, when I pray for people, I often name three things I want for them: God’s shalom, God’s protection, and God’s light. Naming God’s light almost every day in my prayers has made me more aware of the significance of the strong imagery of light in the Bible.
We are about ten days into the Season of Epiphany. In Christian history, Epiphany has been linked to the wise men. They followed a star, and their arrival to see Jesus marked the revelation of a significant truth: God’s light shines on all the peoples of the earth. The theme of light is woven throughout the Epiphany season.
Here are some themes to consider as you pray for God’s light for yourself and those you love.
Light and truth. “O send out your light and your truth; let them lead me” (Psalm 43:3). The psalmist links light and truth to a purpose: guidance. When I was a young adult, it seemed like God’s truth was something to learn cognitively and keep in our brains. The psalmist prays for God's light and truth for the purpose of navigating our daily lives with God’s counsel.
In much the same way, another psalmist writes, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Psalm 119:105). We read, study, and meditate on the Bible so that God’s truth can light up the path in front of us, showing us where to go. “In your light we see light,” from Psalm 36:9, indicates that the presence of God’s light in our lives enables us to see and discern more light and truth.
Give us your light, O Light of the World, so we can grow further into light and truth. Each day, illuminate the path ahead of us so that we can step out with confidence that you are with us and leading us.
Light overcomes darkness. People of faith identified God with light for generations and contrasted that light with darkness. “It is you who light my lamp; the Lord, my God, lights up my darkness” (Psalm 18.28). Jesus builds on those ancient words: “I have come as light into the world so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness” (John 12.46). The Apostle Paul argues that our actions should follow our identity as people of light. “You used to be like people living in the dark, but now you are people of the light because you belong to the Lord. So act like people of the light” (Ephesians 5.8 CEV, all other quotations today are from the NRSV).
Darkness takes many forms, including aggression, violence, and hatred of others or of ourselves. For Jesus, inner darkness is just as troubling as darkness that manifests itself in actions (Matthew 5:21-22). One function of light is to protect us from darkness. Paul refers to light as armor, and we need that armor in so many areas of our lives: “The night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light” (Romans 13.12).
For many of us, darkness comes in the form of anxiety. The opening verse of Psalm 27 is a favorite anchor for a friend of mine who struggles with anxiety: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
Jesus, Savior, thank you that you have brought your light into our hearts. Bright Morning Star, shine your light into every dark place inside us. Give us your light as a shield against darkness.
Light reveals Jesus. Paul writes to the Corinthians, who were dealing with a lot of darkness in their Christian community: “For it is the God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4.6). God’s light reveals Jesus to us.
In the gorgeous opening sentences of the Gospel of John, light is mentioned six times in six verses, always referring to Jesus. Two examples: “In him was life, and the light was the light of all people” (verse 4). “The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world” (verse 9).
The promise in John 1:5 has reassured generations of Christians: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”
The picture of Jesus as light comes to fruition in John’s vision of the heavenly city, which will not need to have a sun or moon, “for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb” (Revelation 21:23, repeated in Revelation 22:5).
God’s light in our lives has many components, including guidance, discernment, resistance to darkness, comfort in anxiety, and revelation of Jesus with us. We can pray for all of them for ourselves and others.
God, you are our light. Lamb of God, you are our lamp. All light comes from you. Shine your face on us, we pray. Give us your light each day so that we can see you, know you, love you, and serve you.
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I have a dozen copies of my new Lenten devotional to give to ministers or other church leaders to consider recommending to their congregations for Lent. If you’d like me to send you a copy or send one to a leader in your congregation, please contact me at LMBaab [at] aol.com. The devotional suggests one psalm for each day of Lent, with discussion/reflection questions and a beautiful image of one of Dave Baab’s beautiful watercolors. Available in paperback and for kindle. Lent begins March 5 this year.
Next week: Chinese New Year. Illustration by Dave Baab: view from Kinloch, Lake Wakatipu, New Zealand
Previous posts about light:
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Lynne M. Baab, Ph.D., is an author and adjunct professor. She has written numerous books, Bible study guides, and articles for magazines and journals. Lynne is passionate about prayer and other ways to draw near to God, and her writing conveys encouragement for readers to be their authentic selves before God. She encourages experimentation and lightness in Christians spiritual practices. Read more »
Lynne is pleased to announce the release of her two 2024 books, both of them illustrated with her talented husband Dave's watercolors. She is thrilled at how good the watercolors look in the printed books, and in the kindle versions, if read on a phone, the watercolors glow. Friendship, Listening and Empathy: A Prayer Guide guides the reader into new ways to pray about the topics in the title. Draw Near: A Lenten Devotional guides the reader to a psalm for each day of Lent and offers insightful reflection/discussion questions that can be used alone or in groups.
Another recent book is Two Hands: Grief and Gratitude in the Christian Life, available in paperback, audiobook, and for kindle. Lynne's 2018 book is Nurturing Hope: Christian Pastoral Care for the Twenty-First Century, and her most popular book is Sabbath-Keeping: Finding Freedom in the Rhythms of Rest (now available as an audiobook as well as paperback and kindle). You can see her many other book titles here, along with her Bible study guides.
You can listen to Lynne talk about these topics: empathy, bringing spiritual practices to life. Sabbath keeping for recent grads., and Sabbath keeping for families and children.
Lynne was interviewed for the podcast "As the Crow Flies". The first episode focuses on why listening matters and the second one on listening skills.
Here are two talks Lynne gave on listening (recorded in audio form on YouTube): Listening for Mission and Ministry and Why Listening Matters for Mission and Ministry.
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"Dear Dr. Baab, You changed my life. It is only through God’s gift of the sabbath that I feel in my heart and soul that God loves me apart from anything I do."
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