If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. Psalms 139:11-12 (NIV)
“Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the LORD. Jeremiah 23:24 (NIV)
Sometime for reasons unbeknownst to any - save God alone – He allows deepest darkness to engulf the life of His saint. In these difficult and perplexing times we must remember that we are not to doubt in the darkness what He has clearly shown us in the light. Sometimes in the heaviness it is easy to forget this. We feel abandoned, discouraged, alone yet God has not forsaken us. He is deafly quiet, but He is there – closer than your breath.
Darkness is heavy is it not? It weighs the soul down. We seem to be standing on shifting sand rather than on the firm foundation of the Rock of Christ. But the Rock under your feet will not long feel like sand. We must make it our aim to rely and trust on His promises - claiming them in prayer - for they are ours – until the peace that passes understanding comes - guarding our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. And it will come for those who depend upon Him. The decisive victory has already been won – He will bring us to glory. And in the meantime, He will bring forth the light when, in His perfect timing, He deems it is right. There is always purpose in our darkness as well as in the wait. Trust in Him – not in our reasoning. Depend upon Him. Lean into Him. When we look back we will know it was He Who carried us on eagle’s wings through this barren wilderness of soul. Oftentimes even taking us from “strength to strength” through our Valley of Baca’s (tears).
This is precisely why a great grasp of God’s promises are essential for the child of the King. We must dig, mine and obtain these treasures – praying them back to the Father as it pleases His holy heart to hear His saint believing and standing on what He has said. A mountain of manna from heaven hangs on His every word. We can trust Him and the provisions He has set forth for our lives.
I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD. Psalms 40:1-3 (NIV)
He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. Psalms 18:16-19 (NIV)