March 18

We also have the word of the prophets as confirmed beyond doubt. And you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. — 2 Pet 1:19 BSB

The "sure word of prophecy" is the mind of God revealed in the Scriptures of truth. This is compared to "a light shining in a dark place." The "dark place" is the heart of man, and indeed, it is dark. The light shining in this dark place is when the Spirit of God pours His heavenly light into the heart. The Spirit of God works through the Word of God, using the Scriptures to communicate light. However, the Scriptures themselves have no inherent light. They cannot teach a man to profit, for that is God's prerogative. The Scriptures are merely a collection of words and syllables; they are a dead letter, containing no light at all unless the Spirit of God shines upon them.

I might compare the Scriptures to the moon—the moon has no light of its own but borrows all its light from the sun. If the sun were blotted out, the moon would cease to shine. Or, as James compares the Scriptures, "If anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror." The Scriptures are like a mirror, but a mirror must have light shining upon it to reflect an image. What good is a mirror in the dark? It reflects nothing, offers no image, and provides no likeness. In the darkness, it might as well be a blank surface. But when light shines upon it, the mirror reflects your image. Similarly, the Word of God is ineffective until the Spirit shines upon it. When the Spirit illuminates it, He simultaneously casts a ray of light into your heart. This dual illumination—first upon the Word and then into your soul—reflects your image from the Word, and you see yourself clearly portrayed. This is the light shining in the dark place—the light of God's truth penetrating your dark heart. It becomes a "sure word" to you. Faith is awakened in your heart to believe what God has revealed. The light entering your heart causes you to believe, and in that belief, you receive the Word of prophecy as a sure word.