In Genesis 1:5, it says, “And the evening and the morning were the first day.” Pause and think about that for a second. The day doesn’t begin with light. It starts with darkness. The evening comes first. Then the morning. And yet, the entire cycle is referred to as “day.” It is named for the light, not the dark.

The stunning beauty is in the transition from one to another.

This isn’t just poetic; it’s deeply spiritual. That same pattern runs through the life of every believer. There’s both darkness and light inside us. We wrestle with our sinful nature daily. (At least I do.) And yet we’re not called by our flaws. God doesn’t label us “sinners” because of the darkness still hanging on. He calls us saints, “children of light” (1 Thessalonians 5:5), because His Spirit now lives in us.

I have a grandson who is entering the 6th grade in two months. He is called “a 6th-grade student,” even though he hasn’t attended a single class or read a single lesson yet. It’s still summer break. And next May, when he is ready to leave that class, he will still be called “a 6th-grade student”. God called the time of complete darkness “day” because He knew what it was about to become. He calls us “saints” because He knows our destiny.

If we look to the East early in the morning, when the sun hasn’t yet broken the crest of the horizon, the beauty intensifies. As the light grows stronger and more intense, its influence on everything around us becomes increasingly apparent. Nighttime is becoming daytime. Darkness is slowly giving way to light. Vision and clarity are becoming more potent. The world is awakening from a deep, dark sleep. Dangers are being revealed. Beauty is escalating. And our ability to accomplish kicks in.

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by failures? Have you been asking, “How can I be a child of God when I still stumble so often?” Paul did too.

“I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions.” Romans 7: 19–20

Take heart today, friends. Be encouraged, my brothers and sisters. Just as the day isn’t named after the night, your identity isn’t determined by what came first or what still lingers. You are named after the light — after Jesus, who is “the light of the world” (John 8:12). One day, the darkness will be gone for good.

Look how God works in order: the darkness comes first. Naturally, we start there.

“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalm 51:5).

That’s where every one of us begins. And for many, that dark season is when we first cry out like the tax collector in Luke 18:13, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” The light comes later. Grace steps in and pushes back the night.

It’s a process. And we are all still “in process”. We are under construction, lumps of clay in the hands of a spectacular potter. The same artist who formed the beauty of a sunrise is creating each of us with a beauty that will last. It won’t fade away in 15 minutes. We are eternal works of art to be exhibited in a spiritual gallery.

Don’t be a shooting star. Their glory lasts for mere seconds. Become a celestial light that twinkles in the darkness. Travelers can use your light to find their way.

John Bunyan once said, “That which is last, lasts forever.” That encourages me. And it should encourage you also. The light that comes by grace will never be swallowed by another night. Isaiah prophesied it this way:

“The sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light” (Isaiah 60:20).

This life, our journey, our “day,” is full of evenings and mornings. There are constant times of oppressive darkness and seasons of joyful light. It’s a cycle of falling and getting up again. But the day that’s coming, the “day of the Lord”, when we see Him face to face, will have no evening. It will never “set”.

No more tears. No more sin. No lack. No fear. No more pain. No loneliness. No more wrestling and struggle. Just an eternal day. Eternal light. One holy, unbroken, never-ending noon in the presence of the Lord.

Lift your head today. Look towards the East. There is a day dawning. It’s your day. Can you see it?

Thanks so much for reading this. I hope God speaks to you and encourages you today. Run your race. Stay in the process. You will be so glad you did.

Ruth 2:12 to you and your household! -Issachar