It is good of God to give us sunlight, which finds its way into every little crack. It is very hard to find blinds or curtains dark enough to shut it out.
Here is a story of three days when God sent darkness into the land of Egypt where His people were slaves.
“Let My people go!” was God’s message to Pharaoh, king of Egypt. No! said Pharaoh. However, he was fearful enough of God to release them a little bit, but God wanted him to release them totally - with no return.
I wonder if you know the God who wants the same for you - total release from the power of Satan. He wants to save you. . . not a little bit. . . but all the way home to heaven.
Perhaps you would like to stay under the power of sin and Satan a little longer. Maybe you would rather be saved some other day. But are you having troubles in your life? hurts and bumps? sickness? loss of money? people who don’t treat you right? bad news? things that don’t turn out right? God is sending troubles to make you listen. Why? Because He loves you, and He does not want you to live in darkness but to enjoy the light of life.
God sent darkness into the land of Egypt, thick darkness that they could even feel! Darkness so dark that people were afraid to move. Candles? No indeed. When God sends darkness, nobody can make even the tiniest spark of light. When God sends outer darkness, there is no light at all and no possibility of making any.
But God’s people had light in their homes! It was God’s light, and I really cannot explain it. We Christians have light in our homes too, if we love and obey God’s Word. It is light that cheers our hearts and shows us the way to go. Our “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:55This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5)).
King Pharaoh sent for Moses and told him, I will let you all go, even your children, but your cattle must stay behind. But their cattle were important for sacrifices to God, and their freedom would not be total if they could not serve Him with sacrifices.
Did you know that God requires a sacrifice for sin today too? Not a cow or a sheep, because those sacrifices had to be repeated over and over again. Our God has sent His only begotten Son as the sacrifice for sin, once for all. Our Jesus shed His precious blood just once, and this is forever. God can never accept any other sacrifice to take away sin.
When Jesus, the Son of God, was on the cross, there was darkness over all the land for three hours. God in all His holiness turned away from the sacrifice who was bearing our sins. Never will we Christians feel darkness like that. It was like the darkness of hell, for God is not there. Jesus did not deserve this; we did - for our sins! We who know Jesus as our Savior are children of the day, not of night nor of darkness. Our future home will be in heaven where God lives. There is no need of the sun nor the moon, and there is no night there. But without God, it is the blackness of darkness forever.
Moses would have nothing to do with King Pharaoh’s halfway offer of leaving the cattle behind. No, he said, we won’t leave a hoof behind!
Good answer! Good for Moses and for you and me too. We want to belong to Jesus totally - for big things and little things. Don’t leave anything in the land of slavery. “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:3636If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. (John 8:36)).
God lifted the darkness in Egypt after three days, but Pharaoh still would not let God’s people go. So God brought one more disaster - death - and death is the end of opportunity.
Maybe there is something hurting you today. God sent it because He loves you and He wants you to listen. Will you choose the God who is light? or the blackness of darkness without Him forever?