Increasing Light

For You light up my lamp.

ADONAI my God shines in my darkness.

---Psalm 18:29 TLV

1.
I love watching the lights of Hannukah, increasing in each day.

2.
We add a candle for each of the eight nights of Hannukah.  Even though it's just a tiny thumbsize of a flame when you look at it with measurable eyes, each increase of light is immeasurable by what we can't see.

 3.
When the light increases in our hearts, we are changed .   From the simplest smile to another gesture of giving, those are things I can only do when I am 'lit" from His light. 

4.
Light dispels the darkness.  Each tiny flame adds physical light into the room.  Each time we move closer to the light and seek God to bring light to our hearts, this adds light to our being and affects how we move in our lives and with others.

5.

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overpowered it.    ---John 1:4-5

 We are now in the fifth night of Hannukah. I had one miracle in the first night, when lighting the candles with others lighting theirs.  We all had our rooms dark, and then at once everyone lit the shamash (helper) candle, and with it lit the first candle, and said the first blessing.  When I saw the "tiny" flames illuminate the blackness of each one's room, a huge lightness overtook my heart, and a heaviness that I had not been able to let go of just released and was gone!  God said Let there be Light and there was light! 

6.
  Hannukah celebrates Light, a miracle regarding oil and re-dedication of the Temple.  We see Yeshua himself was in Jerusalem for the Feast of Hannukah (Rededication) in the book of John, 10:22. 

Then came Hannukah, it was winter in Jerusalem.
Yeshua was walking in the Temple around Solomon`s Colonnade.    ---John 10:22 
  
7.
 We celebrate a miracle of the oil  which lasted eight days, although it was only enough to last just one.  We celebrate the re-dedication of the Holy Temple back to ADONAI, because of the strength of spirit  and courage of a small band of Jews led by Judah Maccabee. 

Hannukah means Dedication.  The Feast of Hannukah is thus the Feast of Dedication. Like the Maccabees who re-dedicated the Temple and cleaned it of the desecration, Hannukah for each of us is a time to re-dedicate our hearts to ADONAI.

 8.
Four Hebrew letters are written on the dreidel, which is a spinning "top" played by children--and children at heart ---during Hannukah.  It is said that in the times when Torah study was probibited, children would play this game as a way to hide their Torah study when the officials came to check on them.
The fourth letter is either Shin or Po , depending on whether you are in or out of Israel.

Nes Gadol Haya Shin  (A miracle happened there), on dreidels outside of Israel
Nes Gadol Haya Po  (A miracle happened Here), on dreidels in Israel


9.
Yeshua spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world."   ---John 8:12

The Shamash candle, the one that is often in the middle of the menorah is the one light that is used to light all the others.  When we receive Yeshua as our Saviour,  He brings us back to the Father.  He is  the One whose light dispels the darkness from our hearts and the world and  brings light to our lives.

The people walking in darkness 
will see a great light.    ---Isaiah 9:1

It is He who gives us light so that we can be light.    Our Father in Heaven sent His one and only Son to be that light and commands us to be the light of the world!  May many  hearts be re-dedicated, turned back to Him and...see a great LIGHT!