HE IS…Dawn From On High

I was desperate. 

And life was dark. So very, very dark. I looked up from the pit and wondered where God was in this grief, this impossible season, this shattering.

Those dark December days stretched on–creeping towards the darkest days of the year. And it just felt so symbolic. It’s like the cosmic candle of my life had been snuffed and the last sparks were beginning to fade and smoke. All was lost. 

And that’s when I met Jesus in a way I will never forget. 

I was desperate for hope, for light, and I found it. Well, I found Him: Jesus, my Dawn From On High. 

Because of our God’s merciful compassion,
the dawn from on high will visit us
to shine on those who live in darkness
and the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.
LUKE 1:78-79

Is there any more peaceful or reassuring moment than when dawn breaks through the blackest night? The light pierces through. The rays of the sun reach forth in glorious ember, saturating the earth with light. Warmth floods in. The sky is illuminated. And the light grows. Brighter and brighter and brighter until day is fully born. 

And that is our Jesus. He breaks through the darkest dark. He shines on those living in the pit, in the mire, in the gutter, in the valley of death. And as He moves in, moves near, the Light of His presence grows brighter, Brighter, BRIGHTER until Hope is fully born within us again. 

And the darkness will never win when Jesus steps in. “Even the darkness is not dark to You.The night shines like the day; darkness and light are alike to You” (Psalm 139:12)

So when all goes dark? Fix your eyes on the horizon and hold tight. Don’t give up. Don’t give in. Light is coming. Dawn is breaking. And you are safe. And you are held. And you are not consumed. And it will not always be dark. As Jesus steps in, Light breaks forth. Light, glorious Light, for those living in the shadow of death. 

And He will guide our feet forward–into the way of peace. Amen.