Evening, January 5
Go To Morning Reading
“And God saw the light.”
Genesis 1:4
This morning we noticed the goodness of the light, and the Lord’s dividing it from the darkness, we now note the special eye which
the Lord had for the light. “God saw the light”—he looked at it with complacency, gazed upon it with pleasure, saw
that it “was good.” If the Lord has given you light, dear reader, he looks on that light
with peculiar interest; for not only is it dear to him as his own
handiwork, but because it is like himself, for “He is light.” Pleasant it is to the believer to know that God’s eye is thus tenderly observant of that work of grace which he has
begun. He never loses sight of the treasure which he has placed in
our earthen vessels. Sometimes we cannot see the light, but God always
sees the light, and that is much better than our seeing it. Better
for the judge to see my innocence than for me to think I see it. It
is very comfortable for me to know that I am one of God’s people—but whether I know it or not, if the Lord knows it, I am still safe. This is the
foundation, “The Lord knoweth them that are his.” You may be sighing and groaning because of inbred sin, and mourning
over your darkness, yet the Lord sees “light” in your heart, for he has put it there, and all the cloudiness and
gloom of your soul cannot conceal your light from his gracious eye.
You may have sunk low in despondency, and even despair; but if your
soul has any longing towards Christ, and if you are seeking to rest
in his finished work, God sees the “light.” He not only sees it, but he also preserves it in you. “I, the Lord, do keep it.” This is a precious thought to those who, after anxious watching and
guarding of themselves, feel their own powerlessness to do so. The
light thus preserved by his grace, he will one day develop into the
splendour of noonday, and the fulness of glory. The light within is
the dawn of the eternal day.