The sun had long ago set. Darkness had fallen and the touch of dew was on my face. The moonless night cast its blackness across the land. Moms, dads, and kids had been asleep for several hours. My digital watch beeped twice notifying me it was 2 am. I resented the intrusion upon my peace as I admired the beauty of the city resting in the valley below. I had for many years prayed to see the world as God sees it, to let my eyes be extensions of His eyes. Since then He had shown me much beauty, much love, much orderliness, much creativity in our walks together. But tonight He let me see what sin had done to His creation.

My eyes were guided to details in the valley that I hadn’t noticed before. He showed me the part of creation that He was the most proud of – that sixth-day miracle – people. People were the height of His creation.

I saw a drinking bar where a heavy door with a thick pane of glass swung open and saw a man named Robert come staggering out. The smell of beer came with him as he fell over his feet trying to find his keys. The blackness of the night seemed pale in comparison to the darkness around him. The prince of darkness had him firmly in his grip. Demonic spirits hung around him so thickly that all spiritual understanding and insight were gone.

“God,” I cried out, “how can this be? Robert is the president of our company. He seems to have it all together!” The Lord spoke softly to me, “the darkness surrounds him even in the day, and he hurts because he is not fulfilled without me. Son, he needs the Light.”

My teary eyes were drawn across town to a beautiful ranch house. The lights were out and everyone seemed to be asleep. Before I had time to consider what I was seeing, my eyes were drawn to the den where I saw the mother of three slouched on the couch. At first I thought she was praying. But the sobbing sounds told me differently. Her heart was breaking for she had just discovered that her husband had another woman in his life. I watched and cried as the devil’s soldiers gleefully tormented the woman. Darkness of the worst kind, spiritual darkness, filled the house. I heard God say quietly, “She needs the Light.”

The next scene was one of gaiety and joy. The Prom was just finishing up and everyone was leaving. As the gym lights were turned out my eyes fixed upon a girl in the corner of the yard. Puzzlement quickly filled my mind as her hands were pushing pills down her throat to end her life.

“Why, Lord? You must stop her now,” I pleaded! God crying said, “She told her boyfriend that she is pregnant. He dumped her tonight for someone else.”

I could see the cohorts of hell weaving their despair and darkness upon her. The Lord’s words echoed in my ears, “She needs the Light.”

The ability to see into people’s lives stopped and I was back on the hill top looking at the city again. I cried, “No, Lord, bring them to the Light! Bring them to Church!” Instantly I saw lights piercing the darkness. They were the lights of the churches in the city.

Praise the Lord! The darkness will be removed I thought! But very quickly the Lord arrested my jubilation and reminded me that these lights had been there for some time.

God spoke His last words of the night to me, “Son, the Light does not clear away the darkness of the city when contained inside the church walls. You must take the Light to the people. You must show love and kindness to my people. They are too much in darkness to come to the Church. As Jesus took the Light to you take Jesus to them. Be a loving help wherever you can and share Jesus whenever you get a chance. Your love and concern will be what gives them hope! Then they can come inside the Church.”

“You are the light of the world.” Matthew 5:14