Arise and Shine!

In Isaiah 60:1 natural Israel is called to “arise, shine!” How many hundreds of times did my own mother holler those two words in the morning, when I was a child, trying to arouse me from sleep. “Wake up sleepy head!” It is time for the church to wake up, stand up and speak up until the soon day when we shall go up. Like ancient Israel, believers in Christ are called to separate from the darkness and “shine as lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation” (Philippians 2:15). 

“Arise, shine; for your light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon you” (Isaiah 60:1). To “arise” is to get off the couch, take a stance and be established. And to “shine” means to brighten the room, radiate love and gleam with God’s glory. The Hebrew word means to give light, to kindle a fire, to dawn or to experience daybreak. “For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon you, and his glory shall be seen upon you” (vs 2,3). This is not just a shining that exposes our hearts and motives or a light that illuminates the path for our feet, but a glory that causes lost souls to find hope, like a lighthouse signaling to a ship lost at sea.

Where there is light there are miracles. Peter walked in the light and left a shadow behind that healed every sick person on the street side and set free every prisoner vexed by evil spirits (Acts 5:15,16). There can be no shadow without a light source. Are you walking in the sunlight? In the dark realm of Persia, the young Jewish maiden Hadasseh was given the name Esther which means “star.” The Church is not just reflective as is the moon but bears light within herself through Christ. Have we too “come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Never has society been more lost and confused but God’s Esthers, God’s stars, shine brightest on the darkest nights. Arise, shine!

The Source of Light

We draw light from the light of the world. “In Him was life and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4). “In your light we shall see light” (Psalm 36:9). While the Egyptians’ homes were smothered in darkness, the Israelites had light in their dwellings. We have light because we know the Light of the world. There is such radiance in God that it pours through the pores of our skin. When Jesus was transfigured, his clothing glistened, not because the clothes were glorious, but because His inner radiance shone right through them. Christ is our energy supply.

“The glory of the Lord is risen upon you.” The glory of the old Law so shone on Moses that he needed to veil his face. Jesus transfigured with an even greater glow under the glory of the new dispensation. Then Stephen’s face shown “as it had been the face of an angel” (Acts 6:15). Law, Grace, and Church all lit up. Saul of Tarsus found Christ’s light to be blinding and the afterglow of what he experienced on the Damascus Road could be sensed until the day he left this life in Rome for Heaven.

The Mission of Light

Isaiah chapter 60 continues by saying that gross darkness will cover the earth. Another prophet added – “A day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness” (Zephaniah 1:15). Darkness so thick you could cut it with a knife. The world today has the same need as was elucidated in Genesis 1:3, “Let there be light!” Arise, shine!

“Send the light, the blessed Gospel light, let it shine from shore to shore. Send the light, and let its radiant beams light the world forevermore” (Charles H. Gabriel). The world is groping – and the world is hoping. Is there a way out? Can someone please show me the way? Once again, the answer is found in two simple words – Arise, shine! 

Like a headlight we chart the course down the dark road. Like a searchlight we scan the waters looking for those needing rescue. Like a candlelight hope shines through the window of our souls. Like a runway light we let air travelers see the path that leads to safety. Like a taillight we press on to heaven so others can follow. 

“Nations shall come to your light.” The Gospel is a floodlight that beams to the farthest ends of the earth. There is no escaping its brilliance. “And kings to the brightness of your rising.” The Last Days glory will pierce the palace as surely as it will enlighten the slums. Men of flame will arrest the hearts of men of name.

We are the light of the earth. Arise, shine!

The Release of Light

Don’t allow anything to hinder the light. The children’s chorus is still good for older men and women – “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.” My light may be little, but it goes a long way on a dark night. First is to “arise”. The light does no good hidden under the bushel of commerce or under the bed of laziness and ease. “But if our gospel is hid, it is hid to them that are lost” (2 Corinthians 4:3). Don’t hide the candle under the bed (it might burn the house down!) 

“Arise, shine” is what the sun does in perfect timing, on schedule, seven days a week. Sunrise is scientifically calculable. The weather man knows the exact moment it will arise from its sleeping place every morning. Should a believer in Christ not be as dependable and consistent? Our challenge is to be faithful.

Another point, we don’t shine our light, we simply let our light shine. Some people glare like Halley’s Comet on church day but have less power than a Double-A battery the rest of the week. Inner light comes from relationship. “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shines more and more unto the perfect day” (Proverbs 4:18). You should be turning up the wattage everyday because Christ the Light is to growing bigger and bigger inside of you.

The Victory of Light

Darkness cannot stand the probing, illuminating, exposing power of light. Turn on the light switch and darkness is scattered in all directions. David said, “The Lord will lighten my darkness” (2 Sam 23:29). I am not talking about flashbulbs or physical sunrays, rather the fire and brilliance of God’s holy word. “Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). “The entrance of your words give light; it gives understanding to the simple” (Psalm 119:130). The word of God reveals every solution for life. “If they walk not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20).

The inner court of the Tabernacle would have been impossible to navigate around without the light of the golden lamp stand. The Holy Spirit is the oil for the light. We just need a spark of revival to set the wick on fire. The lamps needed refilling morning and evening. Seek a deeper walk with Christ, a deeper knowledge of His word, and a deeper communion with the Holy Spirit. As you grow in Christ there will be no need for “trying to shine”, you will simply radiate. Listen then glisten. Nothing needs “worked up.” Get into His presence then come out of the holy place smelling of incense and gleaming with grace. Then demons will scatter. And kings will pay attention.

The ultimate despair is blackness of darkness forever. To think that one lone lantern could be the light that leads a soul out of that black hole! Be that person. But greater still, there is such victory in light that the whole room will feel the impact. You have a lot more influence than you may think – in the city, in the tribal village, on the street, in the halls of commerce. I can feel your heat. I see heads turning your way. Arise, shine!