“For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”
Psalm 30:5
There are times God allows events to occur in people’s lives to bring about His plan. Through these events, those who continued to walk with God grew in their faith and dependence upon God. Did they always know what God was doing? No! Consider this: when do you grow the most in your spiritual life? When things are going well and you have no hard times? Or do you grow the most when an unexpected crisis comes into your life (a death, a sickness, a loss of a job, etc.), and you remember that God promised not to forsake you, but help you? It is in times like this that we feel as if we are walking in darkness – we cannot see God working in the events that have transpired. “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). Notice this verse is talking about someone who fears the Lord, obeys the voice of His servant, yet walks in darkness. The darkness here refers to the fact that one cannot see what God may be doing in this event. It is something that God has allowed, giving one the opportunity to grow in that spiritual walk with Him.
To help us understand times of darkness in our lives, recognize that there are some things that you can see in the dark that you cannot see in the light.“I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering” (Isaiah 50:3). When the sky is dark at night, clothed with blackness, what do you see? The stars. They are always there, yet when the sun is out and it is day, no one can see their beauty. But when the darkness comes, the stars shine in all of their glory. The darker the sky, the more stars are revealed. They are much like hidden treasures in the sky, only revealed when the darkness comes.
If you are walking with the Lord, obeying Him, when times of darkness or troubles come, recognize that God allowed them in your life. Consider: One cannot let darkness into a room of light. Darkness cannot chase away light. The light always chases away the dark. The dark can never chase away the light. The only way darkness can come, is for the light to have been removed. If the light has been removed, it is because God has removed it for a purpose. God has allowed you to be in the darkness for a reason. For it is in the darkest of times, when we trust and depend upon God, that we can grow the most spiritually. Sometimes the day of light is so bright, busy, and full of noise that one cannot hear God speak. However, in the stillness of the dark of night, as you think upon Him and His Word, God can speak to you and help you understand. “The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned” (Isaiah 50:4). When you wake in the morning, you will realize that you have learned something. Your ears have learned to hear. It is then that you can find the treasures of what God is teaching you. This is why the best example to understand these treasures hidden in darkness are the vast stars in the night sky. Think about it. When it is light, we see what is near to us. But in the dark, we can see that which is far away. There are some things that you see in the darkness that you cannot see in the daylight. Because so much can be seen in the daylight, one needs the stillness and quiet of the darkness to think some of the deepest thoughts. Once you can hear and understand what God is teaching you (that hidden treasure), you can be at peace with joy. Remember the Psalm at the dedication of the house of David: “1. I will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me. 2. O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. 3. O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. 4. Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. 5. For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning” (Psalm 30:1-5). After fleeing from Saul for years, God delivered David to become king.
We often think that Christians who walk with God daily, following His plan for their lives, should never have devastating things happen to them but have a nearly perfect life here on this earth. God never promised us this. However, He did promise us He would never leave us or forsake us. “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5). This should encourage us to continue faithfully, whatever may come. Why? “So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me” (Hebrews 13:6). It is important to remember this when trying times come.
Have you walked in a time of darkness, learning to trust and depend upon God, and then growing spiritually?
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