“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32
God sheds light.
In John chapter 8, Jesus is having a conversation with a group of Jews. They are struggling to comprehend what Jesus is trying to communicate to them, that if they believe in him, the truth will be clear to them because he is the Son of God, sent by the Father. Freedom will come through trust and faith in Christ. But they are wrestling with it. They seem to be steeped in, and blinded by, darkness.
He says: “If you hold to my teaching (teaching that comes directly from God) you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31, 32
What this tells me is that if we hold on to the teachings of Christ, if we align ourselves to the Scriptures, if we make that our pursuit and passion, then we are true followers- disciples- of Christ. He calls us his disciples. And through that act of following and obeying, we will know the truth, and the truth will set us free.
The greatest way for us to walk in the light – in freedom – is to walk in step with the Word of God. This requires effort on our part to abide regularly with Christ, and to allow his Word to dictate and direct our path. The minute something begins to bring that all-to-familiar unsettling feeling, we can lean in harder to Jesus and his Word. He always brings clarity.
Psalm 119:105 says: “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path.”
The Message version says it this way:
“By your words I can see where I’m going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path. I’ve committed myself and I’ll never turn back from living by your righteous order. Everything’s falling apart on me, God; put me together again with your Word.”
“Put me together again with your Word.”
I love that.
When we’ve been through the dark places, when we find ourselves stumbling about in confusion, ambiguity, and brokenness, it is the truth that will shed light and bring freedom. It is always and forever the Word of God that will put us back together again.
When we are falling apart. When we are swimming in grief. We can lean hard into God’s word, conforming our lives to Him and His heart.
There is no guarantee that you and I will never encounter dark and painful seasons. I wish that wasn’t so, but we live in a dark and broken world. The good news is that we do not need to fear it or succumb to it. We can engage the darkness with grace and truth.
Where there is darkness, God sheds light.
Where God is, there is his light.
We can walk in the light.
We can walk in his truth.
And when it seems like we are falling apart we can call out to God who’s word will put us together again.
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