Dawn is Coming!

It’s been a long night for these past few years. If you want to know where Covid has come from look at John 10:10 (NIV): “The thief [Satan] comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I [Jesus] have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Millions have died. Millions more have been robbed of peace, freedom, and being with family and friends. People have been divided. Others have seen their livelihoods destroyed. Churches have been shuttered and some have closed. It’s truly been a long night. But there is good news.

   Psalm 30:5b (NLT) says, “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Bible commentators believe that this psalm was written after the plague that followed King David’s unauthorised census of Israel. He appealed to God for mercy and the Lord told the destroying angel to sheath its sword. The plague stopped. The joy of deliverance came. (See 2 Samuel 24). After every night, there’s always a morning. Dawn will come. 

   During December, I asked the Lord for a prophetic message for 2022, and the following scripture was highlighted to me: Proverbs 4:18 (RSV): “The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.”

   Those who have faith in Christ are declared righteous in God’s sight and their sin is forgiven. And the path of the righteous – those who stay connected to Christ - is like the light of dawn.

  We are on a path. We are not wandering in circles, though Covid has made us feel like that. We are heading somewhere. A path leads to a destination. Walking a path at night is difficult. When dawn comes it’s easier to see.

   Our path is like the light of dawn. What’s that like? When I married Greta, I discovered that she was an early riser, often waking at 5am to exercise. This was a culture shock to me and I could idnetify with the following quips people made about the morning:

   "There's nothing quite so early as morning."                                                                                                             

   “An alarm clock is a mechanism used to scare the daylights into you.”

   “There ought to be a better way of starting the day than having to get up.” 

   Well, Greta converted me. Now I love 5am starts. Often, night turns to dawn around that time. The thing we notice is the chorus of birdsong – thrushes, blackbirds, doves, native tuis and the odd rooster singing their hearts out. Song and dawn go together. Dawn causes song in the natural realm, but in the spiritual realm, song also causes dawn. Psalm 57:8 (NLT) says, “Wake up, my heart! Wake up, O lyre and harp! I will wake the dawn with my song.”

   In 2022, don’t let Satan steal your song through fear and bad news. Sing to the dawn. Praise and worship is the sign of an awakened heart. Pray and declare that dawn will come.  Dawn has faint light. It’s twilight – between night and day. But once dawn comes the light gradually shines brighter and brighter until full day (noon). Noon is the brightest, warmest part of the day. Noon is also when the sun is due north (due south in the northern hemisphere). If we know where north is, we can travel anywhere accurately. Many have lost sight of north during this pandemic, and lost their bearings. But the Lord will restore clarity and direction.

   My first wife Jane died in November, 2007. One month later, I ministered at the Elim Bible College. Though it was hard for me so soon after her death, God blessed it. At the end, the dean of students prophesied over me: “I see you in a valley where the sun has set, but it will rise again and you will see the first glimmers of light. And the light will increase to full day.” And it happened gradually over the ensuing months. Full day came.

   Proverbs 4:18 hints that God’s plans unfold bit by bit, and light steadily increases on our path. Light cheers us and directs us. Greta and I believe that 2022 will be a year of dawning for those who follow the Lord. Despite whatever darkness the world goes through this year, declare over your life, family, and work that your path will be, “like the light of dawn which shines brighter and brighter until full day.” Awaken the dawn through prayer and worship. Sing to it. Speak to it. And be a dawn carrier to others in darkness.