Blind Light
I am the light of the world. The one following me will in no way walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life. John 8:12
In No Way – Put a big exclamation point behind these words! Jesus’ statement could not be stronger. In fact, it is so absolutely certain that John uses the Greek double negative (ou me – both words for “not”) to nail it down. If you are following Jesus, there is absolutely no way you will walk in darkness. He guarantees it! And He’s God.
This should give us unfathomable comfort. Following Him means I cannot miss a step. I cannot get side-tracked, off-track, derailed or detoured. Following Him means I will always see exactly what to do next.
It sounds so good, doesn’t it? Then why do we have times of doubt, concern, confusion and failure? Maybe we just haven’t understood what it means to walk in the light.
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet” says the psalmist. Of course, we prefer searchlights. Why? Because we want to see more than one step ahead. Jesus never guarantees one million candlepower views. He guarantees just what’s next. And if we are really honest about it, we must concede that when we are truly following Him, we know what to do next. It might be prayer. It might be submission. It might be humbleness. But it’s there. When we don’t know what to do next, it is usually a sign that we have something in the way between God’s will and our will. To do what’s next, we need to remove “me” from the equation. “Not my way, but Yours, Father” insures that the way becomes clear. Try it, but don’t give up if you aren’t handed a searchlight. Get out of your own way first.
Of course, there is also a negative implication here; one that is frighteningly true. If I am not following Jesus, I am absolutely in the dark. No matter how clear my path may seem; no matter how great the council and advice; no matter how wonderful the results, if I am not in the Way, I am totally blind. The light that I have is of no consequence whatsoever.
Jesus statement allows no compromise position. I follow Him and I see what’s next (one simple step). I don’t follow Him and I am utterly blind no matter how many steps I think I see. My path does not depend on my vision. It depends solely on my relationship to Him.
What path are you following?
