by Stephen Rhoda
Yesterday I was sitting on my front porch visiting with a brother who had stopped to visit. As we talked, we heard the rumble of an approaching storm, and as it grew darker and darker, we were soon prompted to leave off our discussion and take note of the storm that was coming upon us. In the end, the weather cleared just as fast as it had declined, and a late afternoon sun even shined down once again.
Such experiences are not so uncommon, and they can urge upon us the metaphor of light and darkness within the Word of God. From the beginning, day and night are part of the design of God for this world, and each represents more than just astronomic truth and periods of time. The night is often used to represent the darkness of evil and periods of suffering for man; the dawn of day stands for the hope and expectation of those who are looking to Christ in faith.
Here is the hope that we have in Christ. Even in the daytime, darkness often encroaches and threatens, but even at night the light of Christ shines in the darkness. In the light of the resurrection of Christ, the night never reigns without the hope of dawn, and each day dawns as an emblem of the eternal light of a new creation in Christ.