The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God lights it up, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light and the kings of the earth will bring their grandeur into it. Its gates will never be closed during the day (and there will be no night there). Revelation 21:23-25
New English Translation
In Revelation 21, we get introduced to the New Jerusalem where God’s glory is the light. Imagine living in a place where you are never afraid of what may lurk in the shadows because God is the one lighting up everything! This place is described as having “no night,” and it’s a beautiful thing to imagine such a place of brightness. For me, attempting to picture this is like having a lightness or peace of mind in place. What if we could experience that here and now?
It can be very easy to get stuck in the dreary, gloomy, and somewhat sad areas of life and let them drag on longer and longer. Instead of living in peace, we can let everything else steal the lightness of spirit that we can have in God. You see, we don’t have to wait until the New Jerusalem to let God be the one lighting our life.
God is already light, and He’s already present. The only thing different between the New Jerusalem and where we are now is that we keep letting the darkness take up space where God’s light should have been all along. Instead of letting God touch every area of our lives, we tend to pick and choose what we’ll let Him have. We designate the “holy areas” of life and the “normal pieces” that we get to keep to ourselves, and in doing that, we’ve blocked off God’s light and let darkness have space where it doesn’t belong.
Sometimes we feel so down and out, not because life is so far beyond hope, but because we keep blocking out the One who is supposed to help us live in the hope and light up our lives with peace and guidance. Think of it this way: When people are in hospice, most of them begin to fade so much quicker in the winter. Why? Because it’s darker and the darkness sucks the hope from their rooms. Yet, when there is light, it gives hope and helps many of them fight a little longer.
Why do you feel so depressed and like life is against you all the time? Well, I’d dare to say that it’s because you’re not letting God’s light into your life. It’s really hard to find life and joy and a reason to keep living when you’re shutting out the very source of all those things!
The New Jerusalem has an advantage, it’s letting God in without reservation. However, just because it has the advantage doesn’t mean we can’t learn from it and apply the same concept. Where in your life are you blocking out God’s light? What can you change in your life so that you can have more of Him in your every day? Take some time to be open and honest with yourself. There is no time like the present to let God be the light you so desperately need in your life.