21 Days of Fasting & Prayer Devotional – Day 15: The Light of the World

Has this ever happened to you? It’s 2 AM, and suddenly, you are wide awake. You try falling back asleep, but it’s not working out. You decide to head to the kitchen to grab a drink of water, hoping that will help. You don’t want to wake anybody up, so you decide to go covert and not turn any of the lights on. It becomes quite the journey of feeling for walls, quietly tiptoeing, and making sure you don’t step on any Legos. You make it to the kitchen, get your drink, and head back to bed. You completed your midnight mission, and the water was just what you needed to get back to sleep.

It’s funny that turning on the lights in this scenario would make everything easier. You choose not to turn on the lights because you don’t want it to disturb anyone. Light can’t help but impact its environment. When a light is turned on in the dark, it gets peoples’ attention. That being the reality, it is very fitting that Jesus is the “light of the world.” Jesus came into a broken world and revolutionized it with his teachings and miracles.

What’s interesting about Jesus saying that he is the light of the world is that it can seem to come in opposition with what he says in Matthew that “we are the light of the world.” So, which is it? Is Jesus the light of the world, or are we the light of the world? The answer is yes. We are the light of the world because Jesus, who is the light of the world, lives in us.

This means that we are able to live in a way that radically impacts our environment, just like Jesus did. So how do we do that? We do it by letting His power operate through us. We take time to stop and pray for someone to be healed. We share an encouraging word with that person God places on our hearts. We step out in boldness to share the Gospel with a stranger. As we walk in obedience, we will see God do the extraordinary in us and through us.

During this season of prayer and fasting, God is going to give you opportunities to shine His light. Be bold, step out in faith, and watch God do the supernatural through you!

 

Scriptures

John 8:12 (NLT)
Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

Matthew 5:14-16 (NLT)
“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your Heavenly Father.