THE DARK IS WHERE STARS SHINE BEST
If you’ve ever driven outside the city—headlights off, darkness setting in—you know this moment.
You step out. You wait. Your eyes adjust. And then you see them: thousands of stars filling the sky in ways you never see in town.
It’s not that the stars aren’t there when you’re surrounded by streetlights and shopping centers. They are. It’s just that you can’t see them amidst all the noise and lights of the city. Stars do their best work in the dark.
We’re living in a cultural night right now. Deeply divided. Many things upside down. Good is called evil and sin is called righteousness. The darkness feels overwhelming some days.
But here’s what I want you to understand: The darker it gets, the more necessary it is for God’s people to shine.
When Darkness Feels Like It’s Winning
I don’t need to convince you that our cultural moment is challenging. You see it every time you open social media, turn on the news, or have a conversation with someone whose values seem completely inverted from yours.
The temptation is to retreat. To hunker down. To protect our little corner of light and wait for someone else to fix the world. Or maybe to get louder, more combative, to fight darkness with our own kind of aggressive energy.
But God has a different plan—the same plan He had in Daniel’s time. To light up a dark world through ordinary saints who live faithful, luminous lives.
Not loud. Not performative. Not angry.
Just luminous.
THE END OF THE STORY
At the end of the book of Daniel, God gives the prophet several visions. The last one looks past empires and kingdoms to the end of time—the final days.
Daniel sees it clearly: “At that time, Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered” (Daniel 12:1).
We have trouble now. Real trouble. The darkness is real.
But the end of this human story is full of promises for the believer.
Then comes this stunning image: “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever” (Daniel 12:3).
Darkness doesn’t win. Light pushes back the darkness.
And not just any light—the light of ordinary people who stay faithful, who keep pointing others to righteousness, who refuse to let the cultural night snuff out their witness.
A LIFE THAT ECHOED
Daniel’s life gives us the template. Eight decades that shone into the darkness:
He resolved early as a teenager in exile to draw the line and honor God. He didn’t wait until he was older, more established, more comfortable. He made his choice in the hardest season.
He worked with excellence, and his competence became his witness. He wasn’t just spiritually devoted—he was exceptionally good at his job. People couldn’t ignore him because he brought value.
He prayed consistently and sought God in every season. Even when it became illegal. Even when it cost him everything.
He spoke truth humbly, interpreting dreams and giving God the credit. He had access to kings, but he never made it about himself.
He stayed faithful under fire and wouldn’t let the lions mute his witness.
And he finished well. After 80+ years, Daniel was still listening, serving, and praying.
That’s what a luminous life looks like. Not brash. Not flashy. Just consistently, persistently bright.
It’s quiet integrity at work when everyone else is cutting corners. It’s purity in a sexualized world. It’s generosity in a greedy age. It’s keeping your word when others don’t. It’s telling the truth when lies are easier. It’s boasting about Jesus when everyone else is promoting themselves.
People notice light in the darkness. They can’t help it.
Think about it: When you walk into a dark room and someone lights a single candle, where do your eyes go? To the darkness? No. To the light.
You don’t have to scream to be noticed in the dark. You just have to shine.
YOUR LIGHT MATTERS
Our generation needs a Daniel.
Someone who resolves to follow God. Who prays when it’s costly. Who works with excellence. Who hears from God. Who keeps shining when the lions roar.
You can be that person.
You can shine like a star in the night sky of our culture—at home, at school, at work, at the gym, in your apartment, in your neighborhood.
There are very few things you can do in this life that will truly last forever. But this is one of them.
And one day, graves will open and bodies will rise. Daniel says the wise—those who hold fast to God and help others find Him—“will shine like the stars forever and ever.”
Not because they were the loudest. Not because they won the most arguments. Not because they had the most followers.
Because they stayed faithful. Because they kept shining. Because they understood that the darker it gets, the more desperately the world needs their light.
MAKING IT PERSONAL
Where is God calling you to shine right now?
Maybe it’s at a job where you’re the only believer. Or in a family that doesn’t understand your faith. Or in a neighborhood where no one goes to church. Or in a friend group where everyone thinks Christianity is irrelevant.
That’s not a problem. That’s your platform.
The stars don’t complain about the darkness. They use it.
What would it look like for you to stop grumbling about how dark it’s getting and start shining brighter?
What if, instead of arguing with everyone who disagrees with you, you simply lived such a luminous life that they couldn’t ignore the light?
What if you resolved today—right now—to be someone God can use to change eternity?
TAKE ACTION
This week, do this one thing:
Choose one place where you’re surrounded by darkness and commit to shine there without grumbling.
Don’t try to fix everything. Don’t try to change the whole culture. Just pick one place—your workplace, your family, your neighborhood, your friend group—and make a Daniel-like resolution: “I’m going to honor God here. I’m going to work with excellence, pray consistently, speak truth humbly, and stay faithful no matter what.”
Then tell one trusted person about your commitment and ask them to pray for you and check in with you about how you’re doing.
That’s it. Just you, shining like a star in one dark place, trusting that God’s plan is to light up the world through ordinary saints who live luminous lives.
Remember: The darker it gets, the more necessary it is for God’s people to shine. And stars do their best work in the dark.
All for Jesus,
Brad D. Jenkins
P.S. — If this has been helpful, please send me a message at brad@bradjenkins.me and let me know. My writing aims to help people enjoy a vibrant relationship with Jesus, and it is an honor to be on this journey with you. To read previous newsletters or to sign up so that you don’t miss future posts, visit www.bradjenkins.me/blog.