Candlelight Vigils - A Light In the Darkness

Candlelight pierces the blackness of night creating a comforting glow in the darkness of heartbreak. The warm flicker of a single candle soothes our soul and symbolizes hope.

Hope for a missing child, a killer convicted, a social injustice righted, or that someone somewhere will make sense out of a senseless tragedy.

I don’t know when candlelight vigils and memorials first began or even who invented the concept, but I know a feeling of hope washes over us as we gather together with candles.

Have you ever wondered why? Not why do we gather, but why do we use candles in the night?

Of course, the obvious reason is to see. However, I believe there’s a much deeper reason we’re drawn to this tiny light. It is because of the One who caused light to shine in the darkness saying, “Let there be light.”

Darkness is unknown and unsettling, but light brings comfort.

God Almighty created light because it represents Him. He is light and in Him is no darkness at all. God innately placed within every human being a need for light, so we would seek Him.

God is the One who comforts and grants hope when death and despair cast a shroud over our heart. Only in Jesus, can we have the light of understanding and hope for the future. He is the Light of the world, the glory of God and the only One who knows what is in the darkness.

God set eternity in each heart, causing us to hope for what we do not see and truly yearn for Jesus, our Blessed Hope. His word is a lamp to our feet, a light to our path. It gives understanding, wisdom and hope, because light excels the darkness.

Vigilant we stand in the darkness surrounded by a warm glow of candlelight, gaining comfort and strength from each other as we desperately seek hope. Hope, that someone beyond ourselves, God, will bring good out of our pain.