Arise, Shine! For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.
— Isaiah 60: 1-3 —
The prophet Isaiah, under the instruction of the Holy Spirit, penned these words about the coming of Christ. A casual read through this text could totally miss some pretty amazing things in this prophesy.
There are some things we need to participate in here, like “Arise!”. Get on up! The King has entered the room! Shine like the moon!
Think about it, the moon doesn’t get to choose whether it will shine, it simply takes the radiance of the sun and shines. So receive that gift of God and SHINE!
But we can’t shine, hiding under the blankets in bed, flying “under the radar” as it were. Darkness is the absence of light, so darkness must flee when even the smallest amount of light enters a room.
The Lord says HE will arise over you make you able to shine. This amazing light will be such a contrast to the oppressive darkness that it will cause the unbelieving to ask “how are you happy in days like this?” Kings (earthly rulers) will be drawn to the brightness, the excellence and joy in YOUR rising.
It is no small thing to be light in darkness, and He is trusting us with it. So first we agree to participate and get up, we “arise”. Then we must receive the gift. God promises to “arise” over us and cause us to shine, making us His hands and feet in a crazy and dark world.