"Darkness Fears Light"

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“Darkness Fears Light” By Diane Webb

1 Thessalonians 5: 8
“But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.”

Paul reminds the Thessalonians in verse eight to remain sober—alert and in their right mind. Verse seven mentions that at night people sleep or get drunk. In terms of safety, when you are asleep, drunk, or otherwise not in your right mind, you are vulnerable--unprotected. You, like many people, may have more fears, worries, and anxieties at night (even if you aren’t drunk). It might seem like everything you ever worried about comes back to you then—every bill, every mistake, every trauma. It can be as if you are haunted--by thoughts, memories, or feelings. Paul distinguishes Christians as people of the light rather than of the darkness. Light eliminates darkness but darkness can never eliminate light. A candle will still be bright no matter how much darkness surrounds it. All it takes is one lit candle and the room is no longer dark. As children of light, we have nothing to fear from darkness. In spite of darkness or night, we have a greater reason to feel safe. Paul reminds us of our means of protection against evil and darkness. He says our armor consists of faith, love, and the hope of salvation. Paul encourages the people of the church to have hope (confidence) in their salvation leaving them with no cause to be afraid. He encourages them to trust in God (through faith) and to rely on God’s love. When we have faith we are confident. Confidence cancels out fear. It is easy to see how faith and hope can be used as protection against fears looking at it in terms of trust and confidence. What about love? How can love be a helmet or armor? The love of God naturally leads to faith and hope both of which provide a feeling of strength. Additionally, love also provides a sense of security—of feeling safe. Again, this goes against fear. The tone of Thessalonians is one of assurance against darkness or fear. It could be the church was at risk of succumbing to fears since being a Christian often meant persecution and the threat of death. Through Paul’s reminder, the Christians at Thessalonica were reassured that regardless of the darkness or evil in the world, they belonged to God and, as such, need not fear. Even in death, Christians have no reason to fear. Our salvation is our protection. We need only trust in God’s promises, remember his love and accept our salvation. It is darkness or evil which fears us as children of light. Jesus Christ, the light of the world, has given us power over darkness. It is only through fear that darkness can have power over us and that power is in our minds—it’s imaginary. This fear is only convincing us of danger when, in fact, we are safe and protected in the arms of our savior. Begin to use the authority Jesus gave you and rebuke fear in all its forms—worry, nervousness, insecurity, and self-doubt included. All of these are forms of fear and thus products of darkness or evil. As Christians, use the power of hope in your salvation, faith in your God, and confidence in knowing you are loved by God.

My father in heaven, thank you for giving me the chance to be a child of the light. Help me use the light of Jesus Christ to fight any darkness or evil in this world. Help me spread your light to all I meet today. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.