Jesus with Us...the Light of the World
This morning I listened to the news. I was thinking these are dark pandemic days for the USA. At the same time I know that Jesus is the Light of the world. In John 8:12 Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.”
We’ve studied a lot of I AM statements this past year, and this scripture, this I AM ‘means’ a lot to me personally.
I AM Light. For some reason it’s an object lesson that draws me in. It makes me feel safe and warm. When I stand in front of a bright light, there is no darkness. There is warmth. When I think of Jesus being the light, there is hope.
Standing in the light OF reminds me that Jesus is the light.
I am standing in the presence of Jesus right now.
I’ve shared the story about my mom when she had scarlet fever in the late 1930’s. She was born in 1928 and she wasn’t very old when she got sick. The whole house had to be quarantined. Her older brother and younger sister were not allowed to go to school. My grandfather was a mechanic for the railroad and he couldn’t go to work. In those days that probably meant he wasn’t paid during that time.
Does this story sound familiar?
At 92 my Mom remembers how scared she was because she knew she could die. My grandparents were devastated. They’d already lost one daughter who lived only one week in 1922. They had to be scared they might lost another.
The night my Mom’s life stood in the balance when she was very very ill, she remembers Jesus sitting beside her bedside. She remembers being so sick that she tried to take Jesus’ hand. He was the light...her light. She wasn’t thinking about never living long enough to get married and have children. She wasn’t lamenting what she would miss.
She saw Jesus and she reached out to take his hand. She wanted the warmth of Jesus’ light to cover her and heal her. She wanted to go with Jesus. That was her only thought.
As she describes it to me, when she reached out to take Jesus’ hand, He pulled his hand back and He said to her, “No, not yet.”
In that moment I think she was somewhat disappointed, but she accepted Jesus’ refusal to take her with Him. Instead, that night she went to sleep and she woke up several hours later in a sweat. The fever broke. The light of Jesus shined on her and healed her.
I mean, He really healed her “good”.
Since that night she’s hardly been sick. At 92 she has never been seriously ill again and she isn’t on any prescription medications. She has “slowed” down a little, but she still cooks, cleans, drives her car, does her own washing and ironing, and until the pandemic hit she played Bridge twice a week. Until recently, she did water aerobics. She was determined recently to “go cast her vote” for President because she said, “you never know, this might be my last time to vote for a President.” If she had a chance, she’d go crappy fishing, catch a mess of fish, clean them, and fry them.
Jesus’ light healed her “real good.”
I’ve been told a story (by her and my dad) that when I was six months old I was sick and my fever shot up to 106.2. We lived in Raytown, Missouri on Ralston Street. It was February, 1954. I was six months old. Somehow she got me to the hospital in Independence and my dad met her there. The doctors told them even if I lived I would be a vegetable because the fever was too high for too long.
My dad prayed. He was a believer, but that day was his all in all “come to Jesus” moment. Let her live and be okay and I’ll do anything you ask. God said okay. My dad kept his word.
Jesus shined his light on me. I wasn’t old enough to remember any of this, but somehow I’ve always been able to know when Angels and Jesus are nearby. I have visions of angels. Jesus shined His LIGHT on me and healed me.
Jesus is real.
Healing is real.
Jesus IS the light of the world. Notice I didn’t say, WAS the light of the world.
IS.
The operative word is “IS”.
Present tense.
Today.
Jesus IS the LIGHT of the WORLD.
So today? LET His light shine on you.
Today’s Spiritual Practice is: Stand IN the light.
Spend time with Jesus, standing IN the light.
And BE Blessed, Deb
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