Advent 2025, Week 3: Psalm 139, Part 4
This guest post is by Molly Stouffer, a ministry student at Regent University.
In Psalm 139, verse 12, when David explains that the dark is not too dark for God, it’s because the night is bright as the day.
But how? To understand this, think about the first act of creation, all the way back in Genesis. The very first thing that God created was light. He didn’t need light for himself, but he made it with us in mind. He knew that we were going to need light so that we weren’t going to stumble around in darkness.
He also knew we were going to need another kind of light, so that we wouldn’t have to stumble around in the darkness of sin.
In John 1, we learn about Jesus, the son of God, who is described as the true light. And this light, his light, will just be so bright. It will be so bright that nothing could be dark anymore. Verse 9 and 10 of John 1 says, “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. And he was in the world, and the world was made through him, and yet the world did not know him.”
So we see that we have the light from the sun, and yet we still needed another kind of light. And it wasn’t a light that everyone could see. He was in the world, and he made the world, and yet some people didn’t quite see his light.
It’s because it was another kind of light, a light that would shine in the darkness of sin. Though some people didn’t recognize Jesus as the true light, there will be a day when everyone will be able to see him for exactly who he is.
He is the true light. This kind of makes me think of this old verse from a hymn that I used to sing in church, “Great Is Thy faithfulness.” I think of the hymn’s line, “There is no shadow of turning with thee.”
When we’re with Jesus, walking with him, we walk in his light. We have the ability to be present with him in his light. But how are we able, and why should we want to walk in his light?
To answer that, we go back to Psalm 139, verse 12 again, but specifically the last part of this verse, “For darkness is as light with you.”
While you’re considering that phrase, I want to read you Isaiah 9:2, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those who dwelt in the land of deep darkness, on them a light has shown.”
Notice the distinction as having been in darkness, but now seeing a light. I’m referring to the past tense nature of the words, “walked in darkness…are no longer walking in it.” This passage overwhelmingly reminds me of the darkness of sin and the light of salvation through Jesus.
Four verses later in Isaiah, a child is described as a wonderful counselor, a prince of peace, mighty God, and everlasting father. This child is Jesus, the one who is the true light. And when the true light shines, no darkness can overcome it.
Engaging Scripture 