Into the Light
Opening Prayer
Light of the World, come shine in my heart today—open my eyes to see the wonders of Your Word.
Read Isaiah 60:1–14
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
“Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
2 See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.
3 Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
4 “Lift up your eyes and look about you:
All assemble and come to you;
your sons come from afar,
and your daughters are carried on the hip.
5 Then you will look and be radiant,
your heart will throb and swell with joy;
the wealth on the seas will be brought to you,
to you the riches of the nations will come.
6 Herds of camels will cover your land,
young camels of Midian and Ephah.
And all from Sheba will come,
bearing gold and incense
and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.
7 All Kedar’s flocks will be gathered to you,
the rams of Nebaioth will serve you;
they will be accepted as offerings on my altar,
and I will adorn my glorious temple.
8 “Who are these that fly along like clouds,
like doves to their nests?
9 Surely the islands look to me;
in the lead are the ships of Tarshish,
bringing your children from afar,
with their silver and gold,
to the honor of the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor.
10 “Foreigners will rebuild your walls,
and their kings will serve you.
Though in anger I struck you,
in favor I will show you compassion.
11 Your gates will always stand open,
they will never be shut, day or night,
so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations—
their kings led in triumphal procession.
12 For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish;
it will be utterly ruined.
13 “The glory of Lebanon will come to you,
the juniper, the fir and the cypress together,
to adorn my sanctuary;
and I will glorify the place for my feet.
14 The children of your oppressors will come bowing before you;
all who despise you will bow down at your feet
and will call you the City of the Lord,
Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you” (1).In the northern hemisphere the days are already getting shorter. Before we realize it, winter darkness will once again be upon us. So the image of dawning light (1) is always attractive and hopeful. Do you remember any special dawns? When our first child was born, I saw the sun rise over the hills as I drove my wife to hospital. For me it signified the dawn of a new life—both for us and for our daughter! But the daily rising of the sun is only a pale foretaste of when the Lord himself rises upon us (2), removing the “thick darkness” over the earth. Isaiah’s vision is of a time to come, the coming of God’s kingdom in its fullness when God himself will be our light (19). What a contrast that is with Isaiah 59:9,10.
As I went to work this morning I passed hundreds of university students of many nationalities, hurrying up the hill to get to their classes. I thought of this picture of people from all nations coming up to the city of Zion (3,4a), almost as if it has a magnetic, irresistible attraction. God’s kingdom is for all, with no national or cultural boundaries. And its focus is God himself with worship at the heart (6,7,9). That is our hope!
Apply
Think of someone you know going through a time of darkness. How can you share some of God’s light with him or her today?
Closing prayer
Pray for that person on your heart, that God will bring his light to him or her as a foretaste of his coming kingdom.
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