Hiding Under The Blankets

God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.   John 3:19-20

There was a time when Adam and Eve were at home in God’s light. They were comfortable in God’s immediate presence as they walked with him in the Garden. But when they sinned, they ran for cover (see Genesis 3:8). Having chosen darkness, they didn’t want to come into the light, so they stayed in hiding. Sin makes us reluctant to come near God and incapable of standing in his presence.

Parents know how difficult it can be to get kids up in the morning. When our children were young, I often woke them up with a hearty, “Rise and shine!” When I turned on the light, they hid under the blankets.

The light that was quite comfortable for them the evening before was now disturbing because they’d become used to the darkness. That’s how it was for Adam. The man who was once at ease in God’s presence would now do anything to avoid it. He ran for cover and hid in the trees, hoping God would not find him.

The idea that all people are engaged in a sincere search after God is a fallacy. When our first parents were expelled from the Garden, they went out into a darker world, and people in the darkness are reluctant to come into the light.

When God chose to reveal the brightness of his glory in Jesus Christ, those who saw it were overwhelmed by the brilliance of light. Like children under the blankets, they found the radiance of God’s glory more than they could bear.

But if you put out the light, you will be in darkness. That’s why there was darkness for three hours when Jesus was hanging on the cross. God put out the light. He would not allow natural light to shine while men had chosen this darkness.

But darkness didn’t reign forever. On the third day, Christ rose from the dead and ascended to heaven. Through faith in him, people who have become used to darkness may be made ready for entrance into the light of God’s presence.

For further reading, see John 3