With God in the
Dark
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.
These words are
written for the faithful soul who
is passing through the dark hours
that come to everyone bound for
the kingdom. The one addressed
“feareth the Lord,”
“obeyeth the voice of His
servant,” yet “walketh
in darkness, and hath no
light.” He is not, then, an
unbeliever or apostate. He fears
the Lord and obeys God’s
servant. He prays, but receives
no answer; he is in the dark as
to the next step he shall take;
he does not know what to do.
Such experiences
come to every believing soul, and
he is perplexed. What shall he
do? The answer is prompt.
“Let him trust in the name
of the Lord, and stay upon his
God.” That is, do not give
up; trust God that He knows;
learn to walk with God in the
dark as well in the light. Clasp
His hand a little tighter. All
will come out right.
This was
Christ’s experience in
Gethsemane. There all was
oppressive gloom, and not a ray
of light came through.
He was in
bewilderment as well as agony;
the Father’s face was
hidden. Christ was facing the
darkness of the tomb, and hope
did not assure Him that He would
come from the grave a conqueror
or tell that the Father had
accepted his sacrifice. However,
though hope faded, trust in His
Father did not. By faith, He was
victorious.
Everyone who goes
through to the kingdom will
experience days of darkness and
deep perplexity. It is easy to
trust God when all is sweetness
and light and His smile is upon
us, but it is not easy when God
apparently has forsaken us and we
are struggling alone in the dark.
Dark days are necessary, however,
to prepare us for the still
darker days that are ahead, even
the time of the Great
Tribulation, when every
appearance will be against us and
we will seemingly be left alone.
There are times
when we feel discouraged and
alone. The heavens are as brass
above us, and no light comes
through. We feel abandoned and
forsaken. God seems to be far
off. If He still loves us, why
does He not come to our rescue?
We are passing through the
valley, and all is dark. We pray,
but no one hears; we weep, but we
weep alone.
Then, as we pray
and agonize, we really see God as
He is. The veil is drawn aside,
and we behold Him who loved us
and gave His only Son for us. At
the center of the universe is not
an impersonal God, not an
absentee landlord, not a judge,
but a loving Father, one who is
touched with the feelings of our
infirmities and whose great heart
of love yearns over us. We catch
a view of Gethsemane and
Golgotha.
What a revelation
this is! God Himself has
suffered; He has passed through
the deep waters; He has known
loneliness and despair! He
understands, and He loves me.
Thank God, we need
not feel alone any more. We have
a God in heaven that knows and
cares; we have a friend at court
that will take our part. Why,
then, should we be discouraged,
why downhearted? Why should we
murmur or complain? God knows our
temptations, our loneliness, our
weaknesses; but He does not
despise us. There is not a sorrow
or disappointment we endure that
He has not felt.
We need not be
dismayed no more, for we are
children of a king. We have God,
who knows and loves us. He bears
us on the breastplate of His
love; He goes with us all the
way, even through the dark
valley. Ever blessed be the God
of our love!
It is not true, as
some would have us believe, that
the pathway to heaven is strewn
with roses. There are roses,
indeed, but there are also
thorns, and many of the thorns
are sharp, and they pierce deep.
However, if we walk with God, He
will help us over the worst
places; if we cling to Him, He
will see us through. If darkness
comes, we only need to clasp His
hand a little tighter, and
precious will be the seasons we
will have with Him in the dark.
So, let the
perplexed and praying soul take
courage. The way may not seem
open and clear to us; but God is
leading, and we can safely trust
in Him. So, if the reader is one
of those who fear the Lord and
obey the voice of His servants,
“let him trust in the name
of the Lord, and stay upon his
God.”
Memory Verse:
Hebrews 12: 4-6.
In your struggle against sin, you
have not yet resisted to the
point of shedding your blood. And
you have forgotten that word of
encouragement that addresses you
as sons: “My son, do not
make light of the Lord’s
discipline, and do not lose heart
when he rebukes you, because the
Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes everyone he
accepts as a son.”
Questions:
1.
As you have faithfully read
through these lessons on prayer,
could there be any doubt left in
your mind and heart that God has
given everything to save you and
redeem you? All that is left for
you my friend is to trust the
Lord fully and completely, to go,
to be and do as the Lord directs,
and salvations gift is full and
free forever and ever. Amen.
