The Light That Draws Nations

Imagine standing on the deck of a ship in the dead of night. The waves are restless, the wind howls, and the horizon is swallowed in black. You are disoriented, unsure where the coastline begins or ends. Then, suddenly, a beam cuts through the night. A lighthouse appears. You know where safety is. You know you are not alone. That single light changes everything.

Isaiah 60:3 paints a picture of this very moment, not on the sea but in life and history: “Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” It is a verse about attraction, about lives and communities so illuminated by God’s glory that people are compelled to move toward it. And that is not just ancient poetry. It is a framework for how you and I are meant to live, lead, and work.

Here is where the tension lies: too many of us treat God’s light like a candle we keep on the windowsill, warm, personal, and private. But Scripture insists it is a blazing lighthouse positioned for visibility, meant to guide others in. The Hebrew word for “light” carries weight. It is not a dim glow. It is the same “light” God spoke at creation, the energy that makes life possible.