Daybreak!

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he sound of the piercing alarm clock rouses me from a deep, restful sleep.  The room is still dark, but the first tendrils of daylight indicate that the sun will soon rise in the east and a new day will start.  The alarm is still sounding so I throw back the covers, get up, walk across the room, turn off the alarm, and then climb back into bed for “just a few more minutes.”

As I lie on my bed looking out the window, I notice that it is steadily growing lighter outside.  I can now see the outline of trees, houses, and the birds and squirrels have started their early morning jaunts and their never-ending search for food and water.  Soon, the highways will be filled with people going to appointments or hurrying to their jobs and another hectic Friday will be in full swing.

But for now, the sun continues its steady approach and light is rapidly overtaking the darkness that has held the world captive for the past several hours.  I enjoy this time of the morning, as the night gives way to the day.  Although the darkness tries to linger for “just a few more minutes,” it is no match for the light.  The sun totally dispels all the darkness and chases it away, making everything clear and visible.

Isaiah knew what it was like to watch God create a morning.  I’m sure he watched the sun rise and dispel all the darkness and the gloom of night.  Perhaps that is why he used this analogy to speak of the coming Messiah and of a time when all would be made clear and visible.  He wasn't speaking about seeing the physical world better, but about having a clearer spiritual understanding of God and his plan for mankind.  Isaiah knew that the coming of the Messiah would remove the spiritual darkness holding mankind captive and would replace it with the burning light of God’s salvation, love, and mercy.

In Isaiah 9:2, the prophet writes these words, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned”  Can you think of a better way to describe a sunrise than this?  Isaiah heard an alarm sounding, indicating that the long night was ending and a new day was beginning.  From his vantage point, he could see the small but perceptible tendrils of God’s light that would one day dispel all the darkness of sin from the earth.

We are now living in that light and that light is Jesus Christ.  Jesus, himself, said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12).  Jesus fulfilled the promise Isaiah made so many years before.  The light of God’s salvation did come and it did remove the darkness from the world.  But notice that in order to walk in this light, we must follow Jesus.  He is the only way to God and he is the only means of light in a dark world.  Only by believing in and following him can we ever hope to leave the darkness behind.

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s it dark where you are today?  Are you walking in the light of Jesus’ salvation?  You can.  Listen carefully and you will hear the alarm clock sounding.  It is God’s voice calling you from the darkness to walk in his eternal light.  Won’t you get out of that spiritual bed and watch the sunrise today?  You will never see things in the same way again!