On one of our coldest nights of the New Zealand winter, many homes faced sudden cold and darkness when their electricity was cut off. This was no accident. The low temperatures caused a spike in electricity usage and the national grid could no longer deliver what was needed. Thus, they cut power to various provincial areas.
When your world suddenly goes dark and cold, your mind is exclusively centred on the ‘present.’ No matter how much time seems to pass, you want things back to normal ‘NOW!’
We are blessed that such outages are a rare thing for us. Pity those who do not have all the resources we have. Praise God that the wisdom of stored resources has removed many of the fears of day-to-day survival. But, even then, we allow ourselves to be dragged back into the events of the past and weighed down by the fears for the future.No matter what is happening around us, Jesus calls us to the security of the day. We are Royal Children living in the presence of our Saviour and King. The more energy you spend worrying about past regrets and possible future disasters, the less energy you will glean from the present joys of church life. The blessings of the Kingdom are in the here and now.
However, when Jesus commanded us not to concern ourselves with the troubles of tomorrow, he was not suggesting that we sit down and wait for divine care packages to appear. Marshall Keeble was quoted as saying: “If you want fried chicken for dinner, you better know where the chickens are a’roosting.” There is wisdom in that!
It is an inescapable reality that the Christian must walk amidst the spiritual and physical darkness of this world. But though in it, our way is lighted by the presence of the Lord. Therefore, Walking in the Light is ever a here and now experience.
John Staiger
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