Everything is black. Quiet, except for the dog howling next door and a dim rumble of a motorcycle in the distance.
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| Nate finishes dinner by the light of his cell phone flashlight |
We were finishing up our dinner when the power went off....again. Luke tried to find his flashlight on the piano and fell off the bench slipping in the dark. What are we supposed to do with 3 active boys when the whole house is pitch black? No fans, no lights, no power supply.
“Let’s go to Mac Do!” The kids know that Mac Do (Macdonald’s) is open 24 hours and their power is usually on (generators?). Time for ice cream! Nate graciously has 3 boys on a search for electricity and treats, while Emily sleeps peacefully oblivious, giving me a chance to blog in the dark.
Nearly every day for weeks now, we have had to endure a rotational “black-out” schedule for up to an hour or more at a time. It is often unexpected, unknown at what hour or time of day this will happen.
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| Elijah was reading to Emily when the power went off |
Sometimes we are caught using electric appliances during the day when the fans stop blowing and the iron and washing machine must rest. Other times we are awakened from sleep due to the blistering tropical heat and sweat that comes with no fans or air con. Once the power went off just as I was finishing up blending a fruit shake; thankfully it was after I finished and not before.
When the power goes off at night, it is almost like enduring a punishment. It feels like a dead world, nothing humming or working. It is like a dungeon, flashlights our only source of light. We just wait it out until the fans come back on and cool us enough for sleep.
The relief that we feel the moment the lights come back on is like being set free from a prison of darkness. “AHHHH!!!” Everything starts humming again, air con is cooling us and the lights bring a lively atmosphere back to the home. “Yes! The power is back on!” we always cheer, once our sentence is ended.
I turned off my flashlight for a moment just to see how black it really was. TOTALLY BLACK. When all the surrounding city lights are off, it is stunning how black it is.
A sober thought penetrated my heart---
“What would an eternal power out be like?
What if the lights never came back on?
What if I had to go night after night sleeping restlessly (or not at all) with no fans in the tropical heat?
What if I never had that feeling of relief--at last it is OVER.
What if darkness NEVER ENDED?”
I remember reading about eternal darkness in the Bible.
I am reminded of the Plague of Darkness in Exodus 10:
v 21 “darkness that can be felt”
v 22 “total darkness covered all Egypt for three days.”
I ponder the darkness caused by sin in Isaiah 59:
“But your iniquities have separated you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you...
The way of peace they do not know...
We look for light, but all is DARKNESS,
for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows...”
But...
“‘The REDEEMER will come to Zion,
to those...who repent of their sins,’
declares the LORD.” (v. 20)
The Bible is clear, there IS darkness....an eternal power out, for all of us. We have all sinned. Our sin has separated us from our God. We are all born into darkness...spiritual darkness.
And YET there is a glimmer of light, of hope! The Gospel comes--there is still time!
The Redeemer, Jesus, HAS come---it is Jesus. Emmanuel. God With Us. He comes to those who repent of their sins and call upon his name.
My heart cries out to God for those who are still in darkness. While I sit in darkness and think of these annoying power out trials I endure every day, I am struck with the reminder to pray for those who do not yet know Jesus as Lord and Savior. My suffering in these sweaty dark hours is nothing compared to the agony of eternal darkness that many people are not prepared to face.
If you do not know Jesus, I urge you, please run to Him and call upon His name to forgive your sin and save you from the Day that is coming.
If you are like me, and you have given your life to Jesus, then PRAISE GOD that He has taken our blindness and brought us into the glorious light of the Gospel!
Jesus 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
That’s GREAT NEWS! This is cause for great praise!
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| Me blogging during the power out--how long will it last? |
“For he has rescued us from the dominion of DARKNESS
and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,
in whom we have REDEMPTION the forgiveness of sins.”
Colossians 1.14
Thank you, LORD, for your unfailing love! Thank you, Jesus for saving me and bringing me out of darkness into your light of life! Thank you for redeeming me and forgiving me from my sin! Thank you for the hope that we can live in a place that is light forever!
Sin has left us in darkness.
Our Savior Jesus has brought us out of darkness.
If you are still in sin, I am praying that this power out I suffered will be worth it just because it made you think about eternal darkness. I am praying that Jesus will shine His light into your heart so that you will cling to Him and call upon Him.
“The sun will be turned to darkness...
before the coming of the great and dreadful
day of the LORD.
And everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord
will be saved...”
Joel 2.31-32
Let Jesus turn your darkness to light.
He has done that for me. In fact, my middle name means “light”. I can praise God even while I am sweaty in the dark, because I know He has brought me out of spiritual darkness into His light. I know that one Day I will live with Him forever and will never see a dark day again, because the Lord Himself IS light:
“God is LIGHT.
In him there is no darkness at all.”
1 John 1.5
I leave you with these final words from the prophets, as I wait for the relief of the moment when the power will be restored and I can post this.
“Hear and pay attention;
do not be arrogant,
for the LORD has spoken.
Give glory to the LORD your God
before he brings the darkness,
before your feet stumble on the darkening hills.”
Jeremiah 13.15
