Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory. The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.
Isaiah 9:1-2 (NLT)
Surely you heard the testimonies of some of the recently released hostages who had spent two years and one week in some of the darkest and most horrifying places on this earth. To our amazement they speak of sensing God’s Presence with them, of prayer and “interaction” with Him, of light, and hope in the midst of darkness. The Lord speaks to us even in the darkness (Matthew 10:27).
Soldiers use headlamps for moving at night or in dark tunnels. This is what Psalm 119:105 speaks about. The Word of God is a light on our paths, even in the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23). In the bible and throughout history, beams of light came out of seasons of darkness: the very story of creation, when God called light into being out of chaotic darkness; the story of Esther, of Daniel in the lion’s den, etc. Our deepest prayer, therefore, is that the people of Israel could begin to see light emerging out of this recent season of darkness, which the hostages themselves have witnessed.