Isaiah 60 begins with two of the most electrifying words in the Bible: "Arise, shine." They are a command and an invitation at the same time. After chapters of describing the darkness of Israel's condition, God suddenly breaks in with a word of reversal: get up, and let your light come out. The verse continues: "for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you." Notice the order. The light comes first — from God. Then we arise and shine in response to what He has already done. We do not generate our own rising. We respond to His. This matters deeply because many people feel stuck. Life has pressed them down — disappointment, failure, hardship, grief. They have not given up on God, but they have lost the energy to rise. They are waiting to feel better before they get up. But Isaiah's invitation comes before the feeling. Before everything is resolved. Before all the darkness has lifted. "Arise" — while it is still dark around you. The verse says that while darkness covers the earth, the glory of the Lord rises upon you. You are not rising into perfect conditions. You are rising despite imperfect ones — because the light that rises on you is not your own. It is the glory of God. A resurrection is always followed by rising. Jesus did not stay in the tomb. He rose — and His rising is the pattern for every believer who belongs to Him. Whatever has pressed you down, whatever season has left you flat — God is not finished with that part of your story. There is a rising available to you right now. Not because everything is perfect, but because the God of resurrection is at work. Stand up. Step forward. The light has come. It is time to rise.