Isaiah 9:2 The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.

When you come right down to it, “dwelling in the land of the shadow of death” includes the entire human race! Everyone who is born eventually dies. Whether that is a shadow and a burden depends on the faith of the individual. Some people accept it fatalistically and some understand God’s promise of eternity, but the vast majority dread it, whatever their stated theology. That’s why the Gospel really is good news, if it is understood and received in faith. Physical death is part of the human condition, yet we are born with an innate under­standing that physical death isn’t really the end. Solomon expressed that as, “He has set eternity in the hearts of men.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11) The question is, where will we spend eternity? The Bible is clear that sin leads to eternal destruction, which is worse than simple annihila­tion. That’s certainly nothing to look forward to! That’s why the birth of Christ is such a great light: God provided a way out for sinful hu­manity. We have all sinned and so are worthy of eternal destruction, but as it says so famously in John 3:16, “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” That is the message of Christmas, Santa and commercialism notwithstanding.

Even with my very real anticipation of eternity with Christ in heaven, not to mention resurrection, I am still not unaffected by the shadow of death, because it applies not just to me but to those around me. Many people I care about deeply are not currently in Christ, and death for them is indeed a very big deal, whatever they claim to feel about it. I have a close friend who is not yet a believer, and simple statistics indicate he doesn’t have a lot longer to open his heart to Christ. He is very much in the dark, though he insists he believes death is a simple end. He has told me repeatedly of when his wife was dying of cancer in a home hospice situation, and she asked him, “Am I going to die today?” She did, and it shook him profoundly. I want him with me in heaven! Likewise, the prospect of people “going on ahead,” even when I know they are secure Christians, isn’t always easy to take. My wife has been taking medication for atrial fibrillation for over 20 years, and that is a major cause of sudden death syndrome. I am relieved every morning when I wake up and hear her breathing, even though I know we’re headed to the same place! It makes me careful that my last words to her each night are loving. When I am touched by the shadow of death myself, that should make me all the more earnest to give the light to as many people as possible, while I have the opportunity.

Father, thank You for Your love that has given us light and life in Christ. Help me walk securely in that light and life, sharing it with all as You give opportunity, so that as many as possible may be brought out of the darkness into Your light, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!