Light that Shines in a Dark Place

And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
2 Peter 1:19

The rainforest is big on bugs. Actually it’s big on big bugs. I have an insect collection from the jungle of Ecuador and several of the specimens are over three inches long, however, the granddaddy of them all is the South American Cave spider that measures 16 inches from the end of its feelers to its back legs.

The critter is terrible to behold and looks more like a space alien than something you’d find on Planet Earth. The spider itself with its long legs is about six inches long but has long antennae that help it to find its prey in total darkness. This specialized arachnid is totally blind, but then, it eats albino crickets that are also sightless. When an insect trips one of the feelers, the spider springs on it and catches it in big bear-trap-like claws that contain long, sharp spines.

Normal people never see this species of spider, because they are found far from civilization and are veiled in thick darkness. They won’t come to you, so you need to go down into a cave to find them and bring with you a light that shines in a dark place. Most of these cave dwellers go through their whole lives without even encountering light, because they are creatures of complete darkness.

The Savior came to a world that was enveloped in spiritual blackness. When the baby Jesus was born, the glory of the Lord turned the darkness of midnight into the brightness of noonday. The ministry of the Lord healed those who were physically blind and enlightened those who spiritually were unable to see. Christ was the Light that Shines in a Dark Place and many demanded He die, because they did not want His light to reveal the blackness of their souls. “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).