Out of the Darkness

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 

Luke 2:8-10

I don’t know if the same is true for you, but I find that my problems and worries are magnified at night. There is something about the darkness and fatigue that seem to make a simple problem insurmountable.

If I wake up in the night and start thinking about a problem at work, or a relationship that is difficult at that moment, or a decision that I need to make, before long I have worked myself up to such a state that I am convinced there is no possible solution and that all is doomed.

Fortunately, I often am able to recognize that it is merely the effects of the night that are magnifying the situation, and I can pray and try to put the problem back at the Lord’s feet, where it belongs.

In the story of the shepherds, I can just picture them out in the fields at night, tired and on edge as they guarded the sheep from the wolves and other snares waiting to attack. What was an easier job in the day became significantly more difficult in the dark of night. They may have been rubbing their eyes, feeling exhausted beyond understanding, hearing strange noises all around, and fearing that they would miss something. Perhaps even, they were thinking back to the worries of the previous day, or starting to stress about what the coming day would hold.

And lo, the angel of the Lord ...

In the midst of the darkness and the fear and the worry, suddenly they were surrounded by the glory of the Lord. Isn’t that just like our Lord? He meets us when we are tired and on edge and afraid of what is ahead. When we are in the dark, doing our jobs but feeling tired from the worries of the world, there He is, in all His glory and grace.

And not only does He meet us, but He has good tidings for us. He has good news, a word of encouragement for us. Here, the angel of the Lord gives the shepherds good tidings for them. The tidings are personal, but they also are for the world. There is good news for all people. Including us! He meant us when He made this statement through the angel. 

I think of another Scripture that begins with the phrase, And lo. Jesus said to the disciples, as He commissioned them to spread the Good News of the Gospel, “... and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20b) Isn’t it a beautiful picture, as the Lord brings good news to the shepherds and to all people, and He later tells us to go and share that same Good News with all the world.

That which we have received from Him is to bring comfort and light to us, and we then are to share it with all the earth. May we bring good tidings of great joy to all people, knowing that He came to overcome the world.