2 Corinthians 4:6 – For it is the God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (NRSV)

In our younger years, my wife and I lived with our two children for a number of years in a tiny, isolated, Canadian arctic settlement on the west coast of Hudson Bay. The settlement was accessible only by air on an airstrip that had been quickly constructed by the military in 1957 to facilitate the construction of a radar station in the settlement. However, the project was abandoned almost before it began.

Although the airstrip was capable of accommodating the DC3 aircraft that were primarily in use in the north at that time, it was unlit, and when planes were expected to arrive at night, we residents of the settlement had to put out kerosene-burning flare pots, one on each corner of the strip and two or three along each side, to guide the plane in. Those instances were usually for medical emergencies, but at that high latitude in winter, the daylight hours were very short, and the flare pots were sometimes required for regularly scheduled flights as well. Obviously, the incoming pilots had to have absolute faith in us that we had properly placed the flare pots and that the runway was clear. It was literally a life-or-death situation, and the outcome of any mistakes or negligence on our part would have been unthinkable. Despite their trust in us, those pilots must have approached that air strip in the inky blackness of an arctic night with a high measure of anxiety.

Just as those pilots needed flare pots to guide them in, we all need figurative flare pots in our spiritual life to guide us in to Jesus. We have them in the Scriptures, where we read that Jesus paid for our sins on the cross, that He rose from the grave, that He promises eternal life with Him in heaven if we but believe and accept Him as our Lord and Saviour, and that He will be with us to the end of the age. We can be assured that He has properly placed the flare pots, and that we can approach Him with absolute faith and confidence, living for and trusting in Him both on our day-to-day journey and in our hope for eternity. Although we may still sometimes find ourselves anxiously circling around in the darkness, we have the assurance that we can in any situation approach those flare pots of promise with absolute confidence. They will see us safely in!

John 8:12 – Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life." (NRSV)

Prayer: God of light, illuminate our pathway to Jesus, and help us to illuminate those in the world who are struggling or overcome with darkness. Amen.

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