Our instincts tell us to run from the dark, from the unknown that lies there. We instinctively run towards the light, and the comfort that it brings us. Because in the light, we have the ability to see where we are, and where we are going. We are free to make plans, and choose the road ahead. These instincts aren't bad. After all, they were given to us by our Father in heaven, who is light. But what happens when the God of light leads us into the dark? Maybe you're saying to yourself that God would never do that. He would never lead us into darkness; He desires to bring us out of darkness into the light. And this is true; but, the process in which He transforms our lives begins in the dark.
God always begins His work in the dark.
The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. (Genesis 1:2-3 NKJV)
When God first created the earth, it was void, and in darkness. Why did God choose to begin creation this way? We’ve heard the story of creation so many times, that we often brush past the details. The God of light, began creating the earth in the dark. Why? The only reason I can think of is that without darkness, light wouldn’t be as magnificent. You’d have nothing to compare it to. But when the light of God shines in the dark, we see the fullness of the glory of God. And we must not forget that this is always His purpose. So when we look at our lives, and we are frustrated about where we are, we must remember that God begins His work in the dark.
We can see evidence of this in the world around us. The conception of a baby takes place in darkness. For forty weeks, God grows the baby, and fashions the baby to His exact design, in darkness. And at the right time, God says, “Let there be light,” and the baby is born.
And when a tree is formed, the seed is planted beneath the surface, in the dark, where it will be in the environment needed to thrive. And it is that same environment, in the dark, where it gains the roots that it needs to sustain the growth that will take place later on.
But we don't even need to look around us for evidence, our lives can testify to the uneasiness of walking in faith. We can testify to wandering around in darkness. We know how it feels to walk through life hoping to see the promises of God, but at the same time, unsure if we ever will. We might all have a different story to tell, but the feeling is the same. Regardless of where you are in life, there will always be some area that God is growing you in the dark. So where is that area for you? What are the things that you are believing for, those things that you’ve been waiting for, for what seems like forever? That, is your place of darkness. That is the place that God is working in right now.
When we walk with God, the darkness of the road ahead is evidence that we are walking by faith.
For we walk by faith, not by sight. (II Corinthians 5:7 NKJV)
According to this scripture, If we can see where we are going, if we feel comfortable because we know the plan, we can be certain that we are not walking by faith. But when we trust God, and say yes to His plan, it feels dark. It feels like we are wondering around in life with the lights off, and all we want to do is run to the nearest light switch so that we can see again. The humanity in us wants some sort of control. We want the ability to see what’s up ahead, so that we can take a detour if necessary. But that isn’t what God wants for us. This is why He chooses to give us His plan on a need to know bases. We are wired to choose the safest option. He knows that we’d choose the path that requires the least amount of pain and heartache. But what if that heartache is what He intends to use the most? What if your greatest setback, was the setup for your greatest victory. And what if that victory, was the greatest contribution to you reaching purpose. This is the kingdom of God at work.
This is what the Lord says: “I will go before you, Cyrus, and level the mountains. I will smash down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness— secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name. (Isaiah 45:2-3 NLT)
In this scripture, God is speaking to King Cyrus of Persia, the man chosen by God to rebuild the temple and free the Jews in exile. As God calls Cyrus, He explains that He will prepare the way for Him. He tells him that He will go before Him, leveling the mountains and smashing down any obstacles that might present themselves. God is appointing Cyrus to do a new thing. God is telling him, “I know you don’t know how, but I do.” He is telling Cyrus that he doesn’t have to worry about the logistics, and he doesn’t have to stress over the details, because God will take care of it all.
And this is the same thing that God says to us. When He calls us to trust in Him, He intends to do the heavy lifting. We don’t have the burden of making plans and choosing the safest route, because that is His job. But our job, is to seek Him where we are. When we focus too much on the future, we miss what He desires to reveal to us in the moment.
God reveals hidden treasures in darkness.
God is moving Cyrus to a place of the unknown, a place of darkness, to a season of walking by faith, the same place that He leads us to. But, He tells Cyrus that He will give him treasures there.
“And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness— secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.” (Isaiah 45:3 NLT)
God said that these treasures would be hidden in the darkness. This means that the treasures would not lie on the surface, but they would be concealed in the season that God was leading him to. This reminds me of a scripture in 2 Corinthians.
We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. (2 Corinthians 4:7 NLT)
The treasure that God is telling Cyrus about has always been there, but it is only revealed in darkness. God has planted a seed in all of us. He’s planted our calling, and He’s planted all the tools that we need to reach purpose, but these things are only revealed to us through the darkness of trial, pain, and adversity… those seasons when we must walk by faith.
God told Cyrus that He would give him treasures hidden in darkness. But Cyrus had a choice to make, as do we. Will we run from the darkness of walking in faith, and seek to prepare a way on our own? Or will we run towards God in the darkness. Because it is in the pit that we can see His light shining in our lives. When everything around us is dark, He is magnified the most. When we turn to Him, and dig deep into His presence, He reveals His treasures to us. And His treasure is endless. We will never be at a point where we’ve seen all there is to see of God. And the more we search for Him, the more He will show Himself to us.
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord… (Jeremiah 29:11-14 NLT)
It is in the seasons when we walk in the dark, that we search for God wholeheartedly. And as we search for Him, He makes Himself visible to us.
Adversity reveals the power of God.
We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. (2 Corinthians 4:8-10 NLT)
Of course we resent the seasons of darkness that we must walk through, but those are the seasons when He does the greatest work in us. When He forces us to sit, and remain still, He is really just forcing us to look deep inside of ourselves. While we are looking all around us for answers, He tells us that He has already placed all of the answers within us. These are the secret riches that He speaks of.
The pressing is tough, but we experience God’s glory because we are not crushed. And when we are confused, God provides, so that we aren’t driven into despair. And even when our enemy hunts us down, we have a protector that keeps us upright. He might allow us to stumble, but He never allows us to be destroyed. This is how God manifests His glory in our lives. It is through these difficult times that Jesus is magnified in us. It is in the dark, that we can see who He is.
In the book of Job, we read about a man that is described as being blameless before God. He was a man of complete integrity, he lived his life in reverence of God.
There once was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless—a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil. (Job 1:1 NLT)
Because of Job’s blamelessness, God allowed Satan to test him. Satan tested him twice. The first time he killed all of Job’s children, servants, and livestock. Job was left with nothing. Satan was seeking to cause Job to turn away from God. Satan reasoned that if he removed God's blessings from Job’s life, Job would curse God, but the test was not successful.
In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God. (Job 1:22 NLT)
Satan was unable to get Job to curse God with the first test, so he tried again. In the second test, Satan targeted Job’s health. He struck Job with boils from head to toe. Satan believed that if he tormented Job, he would turn his back on God. But through all the heartache, and all the suffering, Job never turned his face from God. It was in the middle of his darkness pit, that Job was able to experience the power of God.
I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. (Job 42:5 NLT)
Job was a servant of God, he lived His life to honor God; yet, in his own words, he had only heard of God in the past. It wasn’t until he was tested, that Job really understood God’s providence. Job’s trials gave him a front row seat to experiencing the supernatural power of God. Even when he lost everything, God sustained him. Even in his suffering, God gave him the ability to survive. God gave Job the strength to keep going.
God creates separation in the dark.
Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. (Genesis 1:3-4 NLT)
The seasons of darkness are for sifting, not remaining. He uses these seasons to purify us. He shows us that we don’t need the things that we thought we needed. He reveals that He is enough. That’s really what Job learned, that God is enough. All the blessings on earth could not compare to the glory of God. This, is the real treasure… knowing the One that created us.
We might be servants of God, but we can live for God without actually seeing His glory, as Job did. But when we walk with God, and trust Him even in the dark, He slowly reveals His purpose for us.
God’s purpose is hidden in our pain.
This is why we can’t run from our struggles, we have to walk through them. Through our struggles, God reveals how we fit into His master plan. Through the trials, we gain our testimony. How can we speak on the power of God unless we've experienced it in our own lives? How can we lead people out of pits that we’ve never been in?
Take a look inside of yourself. Acknowledge where you are hurting. Acknowledge where you need a healing touch from God, and invite Him there, into that place. Sit with Him, and know that His treasure is hidden there.
God creates a pathway through the wilderness.
For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. (Isaiah 43:19 NLT)
God never leaves us in the dark, He creates a pathway for us to walk into the light. He leads us to His promises of restoration and wholeness, but that’s not the best part. The best part is that He gives us a road map that we can share with others. This is our personal ministry. We won’t just have a testimony of salvation, but we will be equipped to lead others down the same path. As difficult as it is to walk through the dark, it is all worth it, when we have the privilege of being a part of someone else’s journey.
We don’t walk through the darkness for nothing. We fight to keep moving because we know the prize that lies ahead. It’s not just about us. It’s not just about you. There are people waiting for you to get free. There are people depending on you.
God positions us purposefully.
He chose your spouse purposefully. He chose your children purposefully. He placed you around your family, friends and co-workers purposefully. Nothing happens by chance. Our God is a God of sovereignty. So if He put you there, He intends to heal you there. And if He intends to heal you there, He intends to uses your testimony there. All of this is for His glory. He intends to use your life to draw others closer to Him. This is your purpose. This is why you are here on this earth. And there’s nothing more fulfilling than walking in this truth. That’s all the darkness is for, to lead you into His truth, because that is what He wants for you. A life of truth; a life of fulfillment. He begins His work in the dark, but He will lead you into the light.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for pursuing me relentlessly. I know the plans that you have for my life are bigger than I could imagine, and I know that your purpose for me is great. But I also know that my calling takes pruning and preparation, and I know that the works that you begin start beneath the surface. Your word says that you reveal treasures hidden in darkness, and that if I search for you wholeheartedly, I will find you. So Father, as I walk in faith, I ask that you would reveal yourself to me, and reveal the purpose that you have for my life. Show me those things that you planted in me, so that I can be equipped to walk in the calling that you have for my life. I know that in the process you are working within me to heal me and refine me. You desire to reveal yourself to me, and there is nothing that I want more than that. I believe that you are working to give me a testimony that will point others to you. I trust your plan. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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