This is coming in from when I moved my blog elsewhere. I actually wrote this over the summer, 2008.
The sun sets in the west.
We flew east, running away from the Sun. We shot through time into the late hours of the evening, running away from the light. Somewhere over the Atlantic the Sun got the best of us, and without turning around we started flying toward it again. By the the time the plane reached Dublin it was full daylight, and we had only seen an hour of night, at the most. At worst, an hour of dark. . . or at best?
“Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,’
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day
for darkness is as light with you.”– Psalm 139:7-12
Need I say more, really? It seems as though this epitomizes the broken relationship between man and God. We constantly run from Him, but still we cannot hide.I find what happened on the plane to be an extremely significant metaphor. We could only fly so far from the light before we started flying toward it again. I love this imagery.
As followers of Christ, it is as though we can never be too far from God, for he knows us and sees us, and no matter where or how we try to run from Him, He will actually use this to bring us closer to Him. Our efforts to escape his light will only bring us to a new dawn, where we can once more see Him clearly and in brand new ways. Whether we are running from Him, His word, or His goodness, His mercy will still reign over us and take us by storm. The darkness can only last so long in a life that is governed by the light of Christ. Because of Christ Crucified, the Spirit of God covers all. A world of sin and hate is cloaked in goodness and grace. This must give us hope. The new dawn brings new light! This is overly apparent as I revel in the beauty of an unfamiliar yet wonderful country. Not only did the plane ride bring me to a new dawn, but it also brought me to a new land. God has plans for us on the other side. Let me clarify, though, that I do not condone running. I believe it is far better, as followers of Christ, to remain in communion with him. My aim is to encourage, however, that the darkness will not last long if it arrives. The Glory of God will overcome it. It is through Christ, the Word that has become flesh, that we see in the darkness, and His grace abounds.
“In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” – John 1:4,5
Remember My Chains 