Memory Monday: God's Weapon is Light (John 8:12)

If you've been following this blog very long, you've probably figured out that my youngest daughter marches to the beat of her own drum. Most days, I don't think she even knows there's a different drum beating that the rest of the world is following.

Because of that, she brings her own unique perspective to things. She's always asking me questions about things that would never cross my mind.

Yesterday, we were in the car talking about why the 9/11 hijackers chose to do what they did. We talked about how they thought they were doing what their god told them to do.

All of sudden my youngest pipes up and says, "What's God's weapon?"

"What?" I asked.

"You know, Zeus has lightning, what's God's weapon?"

"How about love?" I replied.

"No. I think it's light," she said.

The more I thought about her answer, the more I realized she's right. God's "weapon" is light.

Now, light might not seem like a great weapon, but stop and think about it. What do we do when our kids are scared of the dark? We turn on a light. It dispels the darkness and the fear.

How did we honor the more than 3,000 people who lost their lives on 9/11? We turned on two powerful beacons of light to shine into the night sky where the twin towers once stood in the New York skyline. We took back the gaping hole of darkness and filled it with light.

All through the Bible, we see references to light. Light was the first thing God created. Jesus is called the true light. We are called to be the light to others.

Most importantly, Jesus told us that He is the light of the world. In John 8:12, He says "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Light is the province of good, while evil loves darkness. Any time God shines light into that darkness, the darkness must flee. If you turn on a flashlight in a dark room, the darkness must go away. It can't overwhelm the light.

No matter how dark the circumstances, how much evil seems to be winning, God's light will always banish the darkness.

Memorize John 8:12 this week, and the next time darkness threatens to overtake your life, sit down in a dark room, and turn on a light as a physical reminder to you that God's light can overcome the blackest darkness.

Because God's light is a powerful weapon.