Light in Darkness

Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."
John 1:46

This past week I was driving to visit my godfamily and minutes after I got off the exit to go to their house, the car in front of me slowed down suddenly to make a u-turn. I slammed on the brakes and tried to change lanes but it was all too late. The next thing I knew the man was walking up to my car and scolding me. I apologized and told him I would pull over and call the police to write up a report. When he pulled over next to me I saw his wife in the passenger seat. They were an elderly couple and she had blood on her nose and a scrape on her arm. They had a small dog in between them that was shaking. I made the sure woman was alright and everything felt like I blur. Later the man came up to me and apologized for his previous words of anger. I apologized to him again and offered to help anyway I could. I kept wishing over and over that I could go back and maybe have paid better attention or slammed on the brakes harder or done something! One of my first thoughts was, Lord, why did this have to happen? I felt like Nathanael from John 1 as I thought, Can anything good come out of this? This made me think of the plethora of situations where I have called God's sovereignty into question. Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Yes, in fact unmeasured good came out of Nazareth and how amazing that thousands of years later we are experiencing the answer to Nathanael's question in our own lives in such real and personal ways.
I love the words of Corrie Ten Boom in her book, The Hiding Place, as she writes about her time in prison in Nazi-occupied Holland:

As my health returned, I was able to use my eyes longer. I had been sustaining myself from my Scripture a verse at a time; now like a starving man I gulped entire Gospels at a reading, seeing the whole magnificent drama of salvation.
As I did, an incredible thought prickled the back of my neck. Was it possible that this-all that this that seemed so wasteful and needless-this war, Schevingen prison, this very cell, none of it was unforeseen or accidental? Could be be part of the pattern first revealed in the Gospels? Hadn't Jesus-and here my reading became intent indeed-hadn't Jesus been defeated as utterly and unarguably as our little group and small plans had been?
But...if the Gospel were truly the pattern of God's activity, then defeat was only the beginning. I would look around at the bare little cell and wonder what conceivable victory could come from a place like this.

How often have I been in the midst of situations such as car accidents or sickness or anything that defies my control and I look around in my "bare little cell" and wonder how this could possibly reside within God's sovereignty? The thought is often inconceivable to me apart from the little faith I have at that moment. I was encouraged though as the beautiful imagery earlier in John 1 came alive to me.

All things were made through him, and without him was not anything that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:3-5

The true light, which enlightens everyone was coming into the world.
John 1:9

As I thought about these verses, I was driving and was staring out the window at the landscape. An obvious thought suddenly came into focus. I realized that without light I couldn't see anything at all. I wouldn't be able to conceive of this landscape or any of the millions of objects or people that surround me on a given day. Without light, I was unable to see beauty. This thought was so profound to me all of the sudden! I then thought of God as light and pictured his light falling on every area of my life, giving it beauty and purpose. Amazing! And isn't it in the darkest, gloomiest, most confusing times that the single beam of light that shines through the clouds is the most beautiful and displays its' glory most brightly? That is so true and how wonderful to be reminded of this through the truth of scripture.

Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Yes! Come and see! Come and see the beam of light shining through all of creation. It is Jesus Christ! He is "the true light, which enlightens everyone." There is not a patch or crevice in the landscape of our lives that the light of His sovereignty does not touch. And not only does his sovereignty touch our lives but it is full of unfailing, unwavering love.
Is it possible that none of the circumstances which surround us are unforeseen or accidental? Could it be part of the pattern first revealed in the Gospels? A beam of light shines. Come and see. And I think we will all find as we hear his voice that he is already beginning to open our eyes to the light of His glory.