The Light in Mammoth Cave

In 2023, a park ranger at Mammoth Cave in central Kentucky led a group of tourists deep into the longest known cave system on earth — over four hundred miles of mapped passageways beneath the rolling hills. At one point, nearly three hundred feet underground, the ranger asked everyone to switch off their headlamps and phones. Total darkness. Not the darkness of a bedroom at night, but a darkness so absolute that visitors instinctively reached for the cave wall just to confirm they still existed in physical space.

Then the ranger struck a single match.

That tiny flame transformed everything. Limestone formations leaped into view. The faces of strangers became visible. A few children gasped. One flame — barely an inch tall — redefined the entire experience of being underground.

Peter knew something about darkness. He had watched religious authorities spin elaborate myths. He had seen false teachers peddle their own cleverly invented stories. But Peter also stood on the Mount of Transfiguration. He heard the voice of the Almighty say, "This is My beloved Son." That was no myth. That was eyewitness testimony confirmed by the prophetic word.

And so Peter tells us that Scripture is like a lamp shining in a dark place. Not a floodlight that answers every question, but a steady, sure flame — enough to see by, enough to walk by, until the day dawns and the Morning Star rises in our hearts.

One match changes everything. One trustworthy word from the Most High is enough.