“..Hardly anyone was left standing; everyone had retreated to their tents, murmuring about the overwhelming presence of the darkness called Goliath. They gathered in groups, discussing how massive and formidable he appeared. Meanwhile, the king sat in his tent, overwhelmed and without a strategy to defeat the impending darkness that loomed closer. Then, in a moment, a young lad named David, the youngest son of Jesse, arrived on the battlefield. He had come to bring food to his brothers but stayed longer than expected…”
We all know how the story ends. Light will always advance when it decides to shine, and it will speak and continue to speak even when it seems dimmed. One analogy that explains “Thy Kingdom Come” is the engagement between light and darkness. We are the light, and whenever we are absent, darkness prevails.
From the story of David and Goliath, we can observe how the interaction between light and darkness unfolds. However, my focus is on what occurred before the battle. In addressing the concept of “Arise and Shine,” we must understand that Isaiah’s message was not just prophecy but a declaration of the true nature of the Israelites, which is a reflection of what believers are, as Jesus explains in Matthew 5. When Isaiah says, “Arise, Shine,” he is reminding them of their identity as light—but first, there is a need to arise.
Let us understand what it means to arise because, literally, there seems to be no direct connection between arising and shining. In arising, we build consciousness; we embrace our identity in Christ and cultivate the capacity for what we are
meant to be. Isaiah was calling them to remember that they are light and that they need to shine. This means we must first recognize that we are light before we can shine. This echoes Jesus’ teaching about not hiding a light under a bushel. That was the situation Isaiah addressed. In arising, we don’t simply display our light; we awaken to our identity and build our consciousness. Arising speaks to the priesthood of engagement—it’s about fasting, praying, studying the Word, confessing the Word, and meditating on it. In arising, we first realize that we are light before we can shine.
When light enters a space, one thing is certain: it shines brightly. You cannot deny its brilliance. The inherent nature of light is to shine. Just as we identify life by breathing in and out, or recognize a tilapia fish by its fins and scales, we identify light because it shines. We must shift our focus from merely understanding how to shine or struggling with the mechanics of shining before we have arisen. Our attention must be on arising first because no one can deny the presence of light. That’s why Jesus likens it to a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden.
I am glad you have this with you as it will introduce you to the fundamentals of arising and shining, equipping you with all you need to shine, whether as medical or non-medical students and professionals. I encourage you today—Arise and
Shine.
Anointed Flourish
