Streetlights

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path (Psalm 119:105).

There’s nothing like taking a quiet walk along a city street at night. The heat of the day has been replaced by a cool, gentle breeze. Leaves rustle sleepily as you walk under the branches of a tree. In the distance there might be the solitary bark of a dog or the sound of some vehicle on the move, but in your immediate vicinity there is only calmness and peace. Essential to the pleasure of this walk are the city streetlights. They let you see where you are going. Darkness that would normally be frightening is dispelled just enough by their soft light to become a soothing shroud of privacy and tranquility.

There is something almost magical about streetlights. On a foggy night, they are surrounded by a hazy glow that is beautiful to gaze at. On a rainy night, they cast sparkling reflections from the puddles in the street. On a hot and muggy night, they draw away many of the insects that would otherwise be pestering you.

It is easy to take streetlights for granted. On a night when the power goes out, it is astonishing how dark everything is with no lights casting shadows through your windows. When the streetlights go out, the world takes on a sinister cast.

Sin has filled the world with darkness. But God has placed streetlights everywhere. These streetlights are His Churches. He gives each of them the light bulb of the Bible and the electricity of the Holy Spirit; with these gifts from the Savior, each congregation is equipped to shine some light into the darkness that surrounds it.

The churches of Jesus act like streetlights for us. When we are headed in the wrong direction, they help us find our way through the darkness. Even when things are foggy and we can’t see the light of Christ as clearly as we should, the beautiful glow of His love still draws us to Him. When everything seems rainy and dreary, we are still given sparkling reflections of God’s light in the puddles. When troubles surround us like annoying insects, the light of Christ can take our griefs away.

It is easy to take these heavenly streetlights for granted. But imagine the darkness, were they to go out. How dark and sinister this world would be without God’s love streaming through the doors and windows of His Churches. Thankfully, this is something we need not worry about happening, because Jesus has promised that until the day of His return, we will never be without the light He gives through the streetlights that are His churches.