Thursday, October 15, 2009

The Discipline of Darkness

Isaiah 50: (vs. 3) "I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering. (vs. 4) 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. (vs. 9) Behold, the Lord GOD will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up. (vs. 10) 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. (vs. 11) Behold, all ye that kindle a fire that compass yourselves about the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow."

We all go through dark times in our life. Sometimes we ask why we are going through it. Only God can lead the way through that darkness. Sometimes nothing seems to make sense.

We need to be asking God "how" not "why". We need to ask Him how to use the time of darkness in our life. He has a purpose for us and something for us to learn as we go through it. Unfortunately we usually find ourselves asking "why" looking for answers to that instead of asking "how" we can be used in that time and what He wants us to learn in the midst of it.

If you are not in a dark time right now you need to enjoy it and praise God for it but be assured that there is a time of darkness ahead for you at some point. The Christian life is an ever learning experience. God does not desire for us to stay in the same place in our Christian walk. One of the key ways He uses for us to grow is to allow us to go through dark times.

Those of greatest devotion to God may know the darkest of times. In verse 10 we are told that when going through dark times we must keep our trust and focus on the God.

The faith that is born in the light is often developed in the dark. The test of our character is what we do in the dark and how we respond to it. God develops our faith when we look to and lean on Him. Isaiah 45:3 "And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel." He will also give us many blessings (treasures and hidden riches) that we may not recognize when we are going through that darkness. When my brother was murdered I didn't recognize the grace God was giving me until someone pointed it out to me when I requested prayer for the man that killed him. I wanted him to be saved. He has a soul just like any of us do. And in reality I was no better than him before I got saved. God had mercy on me and saved me and I wanted Jaime to have that same opportunity. I do thank God for the grace that He gave me and continues to give me. But that grace is a treasure and a hidden riches that I did not recognize in the midst of that dark time.

God is the Author of that darkness when we are afraid to obey God in the light. One of the dangers of being in darkness is trying to light our own fire. God will let us do it too and make a mess of it. Man-made fire is deceptive. We need to have a teachable spirit in those dark times. God has someone He wants us to help as a result of our dark times.

If things are dark for you now....have the right spirit about it and know this....that things may be dark now but the light will come again.

"Thank You Lord for the dark times in my life. They are not pleasant when going through them but I know they make me more like You in the end if I let them."

7 comments:

T said...

Sis Julie how I have missed reading these inspirational posts from you. I have been absent from the blogging world for some time now and have just recently decided to come back. Things like this are just one of many reasons I am glad I decided to come back. This post especially speaks to my heart. My father is dying, my mother is dealing with it mostly alone in a different town. I can't be with either of them on a daily basis like I wish and I honestly do not know if my daddy will still be with us here or with his Father when morning comes. I just pray for God's will to be done in everything and to give me what I need to do what He wants me to do.

God Bless!

Ginger said...

Julie it has been quite some time since I have commented on your blog. When I think of my bloggy people I always think of you and wonder how you are doing. I enjoyed scrolling through your older posts and catching up!
Ginger~

Sis. Julie said...

Sis. Tiffany....I'm sorry to hear of your situation. I am praying for our Father to wrap His loving arms around you and to give you strength and much grace as you go through this. Thank you for coming by. Love you!!

Sis. Julie said...

Ginger....You are such a blessing!! You have never given up on me or my blog. That encourages my heart!! It is because of all you faithful readers that I even keep on posting. I love you and appreciate you!!

Unknown said...

Sister Julie
I have missed your posts. I hope life is treating you well and that you are getting those boxes unpacked. God is so good all the time. Your a Blessing to me. Love you. Lisa

Theresa's Notes said...

Just letting you know I'm blogging again.

Thank you, Theresa

P.S my blog is no longer private

Anonymous said...

Hello. I enjoy reading your blog and understanding the principles behind courtship. Even though I may not agree with all facets of the principles, I was encouraged by your children's courtship in which they did trust God for a mate. I am trying to do the same. I enjoy reading your tips and counsel. There is always something I see that I may learn from. I am going through a time where things are a little unclear after my college studies, but God is in control. He knows best. I hope that you may be able to blog continually. Happy new year and God bless you. Psalm 37:4

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