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Darkness can be scary. I’m like the small child who told his mom, “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 the answer is not always clear. It might even seem as if God is not there.
Have you been through something like this? Have you been in a place with little light, little direction, and an unclear path? The Psalmist described these dark times as weeping in the night. The Apostle Paul equated it to a “thorn in the flesh.” In the book of James, the half-brother of Jesus defines it as a “trying of our faith.” Peter calls our affliction “fiery trials.” Jesus referred to dark times as “tribulations.” Every child of God goes through trials, tests, and troubles. Every child of God goes through dark times.
What then should we do when we walk in these dark places? A similar question is asked in the book of Isaiah. “Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light?”
Is this you? The Lord is your God and you fear Him with a holy, filial fear. You are walking in obedience. Yet, it seems dark and there is no clear 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, 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 God is there. He will never leave His children or forsake them. In this we have our hope.
As Edward Mote penned in 1834, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay.”
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