“That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is none besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other; I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things.” –Isaiah 45:7
“Believe in the darkness what you have seen in the light.“
– Lilias Trotter
Have you ever grappled with the fact that we are called children of the Light (1 Thess 5:5, Eph 5:8) but also still feel the weight of darkness so heavy at times?
While we have been called out of darkness, named children of Light, and know the Light of the world; we live in a world that is still unbearably dark. The darkness is present and tangible. It is real. We face it every day and experience it’s devastating effect.
Jesus came to free us from sin and from the penalty of sin: eternal separation from Him — but while on this side of heaven we still wrestle with and experience the consequences of sin. When we look at the world with our physical eyes it can be hard to see God’s hand at work. At times it’s easy to feel like the power of darkness is stronger than the Light.
But God’s word brings me such encouragement, such comfort, and so much hope. These verses have been healing:
“Let the one who walks in the dark, who has no light,
trust in the name of the Lord and rely on their God.”
Isaiah 50:10
“You, Lord, are my Lamp;
the Lord turns my darkness into light”
2 Samuel 22:29
“He called you out of the darkness
into His wonderful light.”
1 Peter 2:9
I am reminded that God is not to blame for the darkness: the death, grief, loss, pain, deception, injustice, hatred, poverty, abuse, and sickness in our world are all the result of sin. The Devil is the father of lies, deception, and darkness. It originated with him and he is seeking those he can devour, destroy and condemn. The devil wants to keep us stumbling in darkness, confused, and lost in our sin.
That was me: I was helpless, stumbling in the dark with no way out and couldn’t discern which way to go. That’s where Jesus stepped in: the Light of the world to expose the darkness and provide the way of Salvation. The greatest need in our world and in our hearts is LIGHT.
“God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.”
-1 John 1:5
When the hopelessness tries to overtake me, my heart cries out: “Jesus let me see Your light. Open my eyes to see You; YOU are the only solution for the darkness.”
It’s easy to allow the darkness to cause us to doubt His presence.
But instead, allow the darkness to draw you even closer to His light.
The dark makes His light shine even brighter.
"For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." - 2 Corinthians 4:6
"To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace." - Luke 1:79
The deepest, darkest places in your heart where the hard questions, doubt and pain lie are not surprising to Him. The places you thought you’ve been able to hide and where you’ve wondered if His love and forgiveness would reach are not unexpected to Him. All He asks that we come openly and honestly before Him, step into the light and expose the darkness. You do not need to have all your words preplanned or eloquently thought out: He already knows every crevice of your heart and loves you still. His desire is to transform hearts from a place of darkness to a place of Light.
When you cannot find clarity in your circumstance, He is your light. When grief causes your vision of Him to become blurred—He is light.
There may be darkness seeking to choke out His light in your heart and life: whether it is anxiety, depression, grief, or loss…it can leave you feeling unworthy, ashamed, and undeserving of His presence, but cling to His word:
In His Word He has clearly revealed to us Who He is. We can trust His character and rest our full confidence and assurance in the fact that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He never changes. While we face times of darkness and change He is the One constant. The only One who can bring clarity. The One who is “the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17).
It’s when you can’t see that you learn to trust Him in the dark.
When you don’t see His hand you can trust that He’s still working.
He redeems the darkness.
When we think we’ll be crushed under the weight; He is using it to strengthen us.
He is growing our faith.
God does not deny the presence of darkness but He promises to be the Light.
He doesn’t promise to remove the darkness; but promises to be our Light thru it.
It is as if He is saying: “I know. There is darkness; and it can be crippling and paralyzing at times. It can feel helpless & hopeless. But I am the Light of the world. I am the Light of your heart. In Me there is NO darkness. There is no confusion or shadow of turning in Me.” The darkness that I was once fearful would hide His face from me now draws me closer towards Him. He is the only One who can navigate this dark world and I can trust that He will carry me thru.
“I will go before you and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, who call you by your name, am the God of Israel.” – Isaiah 45:2-3
“I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.” – Isaiah 42:16
“God is too good to be unkind
& He is too wise to be mistaken.
And when we cannot trace His hand,
we must trust His heart.”
– C.H. Spurgeon
If you’re stumbling in the dark,
run your hands against the walls
Find every window, every door,
throw them open, throw them open
In will flood a blinding light,
and it will chase away the night
Even if you shield your eyes,
let it pour in, let it pour in (Jess Ray “Gallows”)
“What’s true in the light
Is still true in the dark
You’re good and You’re kind
And You care for this heart
Lord I believe, You weep with me.”
– Rend collective
“Sometimes God puts us through the experience and discipline of darkness to teach us to hear and obey Him…once you hear Him, He gives you the gift of humiliation, which brings a softness of heart— a gift that will always cause you to listen to God now. When you are in the dark, listen, and God will give you a very precious message for someone else once you are back in the light.” – Oswald Chambers
