When God’s Light Shines
“For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.”
— Luke 8:17-18 ESV
Even when the work goes unnoticed, God sees.
There will be a day when the glory of Christ shines over all of creation, bringing to light everything that has been done. That which was done in sin will be exposed as quickly as that which was done in righteousness. Our secret sins will be exposed for all to see, the things we’ve looked upon, said, done, and schemed in the shadows. All our secret prayers will be revealed, intercessions for friends and families, prayers of worship to God, moments of surrender and confession.
On that day, it will be abundantly clear where the fruit of holiness or wickedness is stored up. We can hide our secret lives for now, but ultimately, we will see that we only fooled ourselves.
It is not as if God is waiting for that day to discover how we live our lives. Matthew 6:6 ESV says, “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
God knows every time you seek him alone in prayer as much as he knows every time temptation gives birth to sin. Take care then how you hear. If you have hidden fruit, you’ll be rewarded on that day. If you had fresh paint on your siding, but your house was trashed, you’ll see how fleeting false faith is when God’s light shines.
We are quick to repent when caught and slow to change when no one notices. Can we remember today, in the fear of the Lord, that God can plainly see the works of every person? Perhaps hiding our sins from others postpones the need for repentance, but God knows our actions even before we commit them.
Similarly, we are prone to discouragement and weariness over the unseen life of prayer and obedience. If we store treasures in heaven, our reward will be there, not on this earth. It is for our benefit to skip the prize in this life. When God’s light shines, we will be blown away by how much more will be added to our storehouses. Don’t give up on following the call to prayer.
The message is for all of us. We all have to wrestle with the sin that easily entangles us, but we all have a calling and a pull toward a secret ministry of some sort. Whether this is prayer, unseen service, discrete generosity, or the ministry of simple friendship, God has positioned us all for a life of holiness in hidden and secret places.
I’m so thankful for Christ’s words that call me to sharpen my perspective on the kingdom of God. We don’t need to focus on the earthy metrics for success. Instead, through patient endurance, we can build a life of righteous works that will bud, blossom, and produce fruit that will last in the eternal kingdom of God.
So take care how you are hearing. Do you hear this message? Do you hear in your spirit that Christ’s words are grace and truth? Respond with the wholehearted embrace of the ways of God’s kingdom.
