Let's Look for the Light

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” —John 1.5

One of my heroes in the story of redemption is Daniel. What an amazing life he lived! To go from being a political refugee to the Secretary of State in Babylon. Wow! The story most often associated with Daniel is his choice to pray publicly even when the law forbids it, and he’s thrown into the lion's den where God miraculously rescues him. But Daniel was an old man at that time. Long before the lions, Daniel was a young exile, who’d been forced to leave his home and was enrolled on a full scholarship at the University of Babylon (U of B). 

It was the decisions he made then that shaped who he became later. As a student, he consistently chose to follow God’s ways even in the face of challenges, when the path ahead seemed very dark. Daniel looked for the light of God shining in the darkness while he was a student at the U of B. Here’s how he did that:

He gathered a group of fellow light-seekers (Dan 1.8-17). This core group committed to practices that would help them seek God while they were students at the U of B. The practices they started, some of which were practices of action (daily prayer) and some were practices of abstinence (non-participation in idol worship) helped them look for the light of God at the U of B and shaped how they lived their whole lives in Babylon. 

Maybe the most important thing we see in Daniel and his friends is that they expected to see the light of God shining even in Babylon.   

There’s a lot we can learn from Daniel and his friends about looking for the light of God in our own context. Lessons like: We don’t do this alone. We need each other. As well as the importance of daily rhythms of taking up (action) as well as laying down (abstinence) as ways that help us look for the light of God when things seem dark. But maybe the most important thing we see in Daniel and his friends is that they expected to see the light of God shining even in Babylon.   

As we step into this next season of life and mission, let’s look for the Light together. If you're sending your little one off to his first day of school, look for the Light. It's shining in your school. If you’re heading off to your first year of college, look for the Light. God loves college campuses. If you're getting up and going to work like you’ve done every day for years, look for the Light. Our Father made us from the dust of Earth, he’s not afraid to get his hands dirty. If you're sizing up the first months of retirement, look for Light, God is active in your neighborhood. Many years after Daniel, the True Light that gives light to all came into the world. That light still shines in the darkness friends. Let’s look for the Light.  

Scott Stark is Resonate Global Mission’s Regional Mission Leader for the Great Lakes Region