A few nights ago, as I lay awake reading, I came across verse seven of Zechariah chapter fourteen which the author had quoted. It wasn’t the entire verse that leapt out at me, just the very last part, it read,
“…but at evening time there will be light.”
Those words conjured up a vision in my head, of a natural day with its cycles and I began to imagine the various times of the day and what they might represent spiritually. To me, the daylight period is like a time of close communion and fellowship with God. A time when you feel an incredible connection to Father, Son, and Spirit. A time when all is well with your soul – a happy, carefree, and exciting time.
The day time reminds me of when you’ve only
just started your spiritual journey and a new world is opening up right before
your eyes because God has given you a brand new perspective on life, and life
is great. This period seems as if it would never end – there’s so much light,
an illumination of biblical truths once deemed incomprehensible.
Yet, as the day wears on, ever so gradually
the light begins to fade, and eventually evening comes and you become keenly
aware that soon it will be night time, a period of darkness comparable to times
of trial and testing sore. You’re not ignorant of the fact that evening always
ushers in the night. But as I imagine the evening time, with its setting sun,
all I could envision is the beauty that the diminishing light creates and it is
at that very moment that I hear, “…but at evening time there will be light.”
There’s light at evening time. What a
sobering thought…
Even when it appears as though the light is dwindling, and you begin to question if what you’d experienced with God during the day time was real, and the more the light fades the more it feels as if God Himself is drifting further and further away from you, and the onset of a sense of loss, rejection, and abandonment is unmistakable, God is still there, for God is Light and He is always present, no matter what. And this is what you must keep in mind – at evening time there’s still light, and that light creates a beautiful sight.
It’s a vision you must hold on to as you
enter that period where you begin to feel completely disconnected from God. Do
not rely on your feelings, now is the time when you must draw on the confidence
you had in God when the light was at its brightest because it is in the coming
darkness that He intends to complete the work He is doing in you.
Beloved, please understand, if you are to grow spiritually, evening time must come and night time must follow. These are necessary periods of transition on your spiritual journey.
During the day time many things are
revealed and you gain a better apprehension of the spiritual, but God wants you
to enter into an even deeper level of communion, fellowship, and understanding
and that involves a time when you’re not going to be able to see the very next
step in front of you, a time of not knowing, a time when you simply have to
trust God.
Amen†
Shelley Johnson “There’s light at Evening Time” © 2016 revisited July 1, 2025
