Tag: darkness

When There is No Light

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nolight

Darkness can be scary. I often feel like the small child who said, “I’m not afraid of the dark, just the things that are in the dark.”

Sometimes we walk in dark places. Sometimes we fear what those dark places will bring. We seek for an answer and sometimes it is not clear. It might even at times seem as if God is not there. The Psalmist described these dark times as weeping in the night. Paul equated it to a thorn in the flesh. James defines it as trying of our faith. Peter calls our affliction fiery trials. And Jesus referred to dark times as tribulations. Every child of God goes through them – trials, tests, and troubles.

So, what should we do when we walk in these dark places?

“Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light?”

I am learning that I should never doubt in the dark what God has shown me in the light.

  • He has shown me that while weeping may endure for a night, joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5).
  • He has shown me that while I might be given a thorn in the flesh, His grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 9:12).
  • He has shown me that while my faith has been tried, it brings patience to my life (James 1:3).
  • He has shown me that while fiery trials are hard, they are no strange thing (1 Peter 4:12).
  • He has shown me that while we will have tribulations in this world that we should be of good cheer. Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33).

“Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.” Isaiah 50:10

The answer is right there: We are to trust in the name of the Lord and lean upon Him. No matter what that dark place looks like, we know that God is there. He will never leave his children or forsake them. Maybe for you the path is clear and the light is bright. Praise Him during this time. But maybe the day grows dim and the shadows appear. Remember, dear child, do not doubt in the dark what God has already shown you in the light.

When the Sun Comes Out

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sun When we were in South Mississippi we lived in a home that was surrounded by acres and acres of National Forrest. During the summer months, after the children went to bed my husband and I would love to take evening swims. In the darkness of the night we would look into the heavens at the thousands of stars shining so bright. The contrast of the stars against the blanket of darkness was striking. This is how I picture the Christian’s life. We let our light shine before men in an extremely dark world.

It is certainly dark times. Today’s headlines, like all others, include stories of war, scandals, terrorism, and murder. One story that depicts the nature of our world in such a clear fashion is this one. A Chinese baby boy is rescued alive after being flushed away. I am a mother. The thought of a mom giving birth to a child and then being able to take that child and flush it down the toilet as human waste or garbage is inconceivable. I can’t even comprehend the cruel heart that could do such a thing, other than the fact that we are told in Jeremiah that the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked (Jer 17:9) and that one of the characteristic of the ungodly is being “without natural affection” (Rom 1:31, 2 Tim 3:3).

So these gloriously dark times are grand opportunities to shine.

Look at how Daniel describes the wise. “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever,” Daniel 12:3.

That right! You are a star!

At least those with heavenly wisdom, who point others to God, shine as stars in the darkness!

But what happens to the stars when the sun comes out?

They fade away.

John the Baptist understood this concept. He said, “He must increase, but I must decrease,” John 3:30.

Our purpose as light in the darkness has never been to point others to ourselves. We don’t shine for our glory. We point others to God, for His glory. Jesus told his disciples, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven,” Matthew 5:16.

We shine in this dark world so that others are pointed to our heavenly Father. But one glorious day, the Son whose “countenance was as the sun,” (Rev 1:16) will return and all darkness will be driven away for all eternity.

Until that day, dear Christian friend, keep shinning!

A Light in the Darkness

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 A couple of weeks ago we were having some car trouble. Our suburban was running rough. Since our suburban is paid for we are very careful to keep the maintenance up. Let me correct that statement. My husband is very careful to keep the maintenance up. This thing is old. With over 250 thousand miles on it we are convinced that it is held together by angel dust. (But don’t get me wrong, we’re thankful to have this paid for vehicle and we give God all glory.)

So back to a few weeks ago…Because the suburban was running rough Dana spent a day working on it. At first he thought it was bad gas we picked up in Arkansas but after giving it gas treatment and running most of it out he figured it must be something else. He then replaced several parts. Forgive me if I get these wrong but I think he replaced a fuel filter, some kind of cap, and then cleaned the spark plugs. He probably did some other stuff because it took him most of the day. But at the end of the day there was no improvement and he was rather frustrated.

We had cottage prayer meeting that night. (Do any of you know what that is? I learned a couple of years ago.) While there my husband was sharing with the men his car troubles. A few of them went to look at it and right away they figured out the problem. You see, it was dark outside. Therefore, it was very easy to spot the short in the spark plug wires. They could see the flash of light that only the darkness could expose. So, the next day Dana took the spark plug wires (that thankfully have a life-time warranty) and in a matter of minutes replaced them with new ones. The suburban was as good as new! Okay, as good as new as a truck of its caliber could be.

There is a deep spiritual truth here that I learned one week later. It was during our revival services. The preacher preached from Isaiah 50. “Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.” There are times in every Christian’s life of ordained darkness. These are times that we are walking with the Lord in obedience. We fear Him with a filial fear. Yet God in His perfect sovereignty chooses to conceal His light for a time. WHY? We ask. It is because there are some things that can only be learned in the dark! Think back to some of the darkest times in your life. Most believers will say looking back that those were times of unyielding spiritual growth. While the darkness is painful and hard, spiritually it can be the most profitable.

Perhaps you are going through that ordained darkness even now. You are in the will of God. You are serving Him. You are living in obedience. You fear Him in reverence but there is no light. What do you do? The scriptures say “let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.” We LEARN to trust Him. We LEAN upon Him. We LEAVE it with Him. It is simple, just hard. The following verse also gives a warning to those during this time. “Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow,” (Isa 50:11). Often during these times we want to light our own fire and walk in it. After all, no Christian likes the dark times. But God warns us. Do not walk in your own light. Learn to trust Him. Lean upon Him and patiently leave it with Him.

I pray that if you are going through a dark time in your life that you will be blessed by God’s Words. Trust in Him, dear child. He loves you with an everlasting love!