Real Faith Grows In the Dark

Can you think of anyone who wants to get to the Promised Land, but doesn't want to do what is necessary to make the trip? How about a person who desires to have everything he needs, but is not willing to give up anything to get it? Can you imagine someone who believes she should have already arrived without having to trust God for every step to get there? Can you think of anyone who would even consider trying to pass a test without having taken it? So can I. I think we all can.

One of the ways God makes us certain of His light is by allowing us to test it in the darkness. But this darkness is not to be dreaded. It is the darkness God has created for His purposes. God sometimes allows things to get very dark in our lives in order to grow us up and teach us about Himself. And some things that we accomplish in darkness cannot happen in any other setting.

We're in the darkness until we see His light in it. He wants us to reach out for Him so we can walk together in the same direction. He desires that we draw close so that we sense His presence at all times. This is not like the darkness of evil, which you can clearly sense. Or the darkness of our own disobedience, which we know in our hearts. This is a different kind of darkness, and God says there are treasures to be found there. The treasure we find in the darkness is Him. Isaiah 45:3 says, "I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, who calls you by your name, am the God of Israel"

I have gone through dark times in my life with my parents, my children, my marriage, my health, my work, and my relationships, and for many years I didn't realize that God was using these situations to increase my knowledge of Him. Now that I look back, I realize these were the very times that I had the greatest sense of His presence in my life. The more the difficulty, the more fervently I reached out to Him. As a result, my perception of who God is grew deeper and deeper. I discovered the amazing largeness of His love and grace toward those who walk closely with Him.

Some things we only learn in the dark.

Blessings,
Dalinda