For your encouragement as you walk through life

 What is it about being in the dark that we are so uncomfortable with? We know that God is sovereign, He is in control and that He can do only good according to His purpose. But still, our hearts yearn to be in the light where we can see, where we can understand our surroundings and feel like we have some sort of direction or control over our life. Darkness makes us feel abandoned, forgotten, misplaced and even, at times, unloved. Our hearts wrench within us crying out to the Lord: “where are You, God? Do You not care anymore? I cannot see You, I cannot feel You, I feel alone. God, where are You?” We have no idea what God is doing during this season of spiritual dryness and darkness. Reading Scripture seems to become more and more of a chore and prayer ceases altogether as we slip into a lonely depression while we wait in the darkness. Waiting for a light, a voice, a touch…something to prove that we are not alone and were not alone and that there was, somehow, a reason for our dark time. As we struggle to move forward in life, we attempt to understand our purpose for life, but nothing seems to fit us. There is this invisible wall that we keep slamming into and falling pitifully to the ground. In ignorance of this wall’s existence, we pick ourselves up and march headlong into the wall again only to fall once more. We seem to find ourselves going around in circles…and who wouldn’t? There is no light. There is no direction. There is no hope. Just darkness. Confusion. Loneliness.

What is it about being in the dark?

God is the Master Gardener. He knows every existing plant and knows just how to grow them. God knows that He must put that tiny seed into the ground and let it sit in darkness for a time before it can grow into a mighty tree. There is incredible growth that takes place in darkness for a seed.  The seed is at the mercy of the Master Gardener, not knowing everything that it must go through in order to become the tree that God has in mind. But it endures. It endures the pounding rain, the harmful underground bacteria, the hungry birds and all the while it grows. If it is strong in the dark, slowly the seed begins to see the light and realizes that a miraculous transformation has taken place. It is no longer just a little seed, but something powerful, something more, something better, something that God had intended…as long as it endured in the dark.

What lessons we can learn from this little seed! We see being “buried” and covered up as difficult living quarters, God carefully selects the ground that He plants us in. We see no action taking place and wasted time, God knows of the growth we will undertake as we are in darkness. We see darkness and seeming confusion as a bad place to be, God knows that this is the best place for us at this moment in our lives because He will grow us into something even better. We see hopelessness and no end, God sees beauty that will last an eternity.

Being in the darkness and not understanding is a difficult place for us to be…but let us take time to consider the growth that we are going through by the actual hands of God by being in the dark. If God takes time to make sure a tiny seed is planted in just the right soil and grows to fruition how much more so is He concerned for His precious children’s growth and development. Sometimes God has to put us in the dark in order for us to see the light more clearly. And once we emerge from the darkness, we get a glimpse of ourselves and realize that God has done an amazing work in our hearts. Yes, it is difficult to be in the dark. It is uncomfortable. We feel as if we will never understand our true purpose and that surely God has left us. Isn’t it incredible how we have these feelings at the very time that God is the closest to us, shaping and molding us into the powerful, godly men and women that God envisioned us to be! Remember that feelings can come and go and even our faith can be strong and then wane. But the exciting truth is: no matter how we view God, He always continues to be Himself. God will always continue to be faithful even if we feel abandoned. God will always continue to be sovereign, even if we don’t understand. God will always continue to love, even if we feel unloved. God will always continue to be there in the darkness with us, even if we can’t see or feel Him.

My dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast. Even if you feel the pangs of loneliness or are discouraged by the continual darkness, remind yourself that God is there. And if God is there, He is working out His plan and purpose in you in a very special way. Remember that darkness is where we can grow. Remember that God will never leave you in that darkness a moment longer than necessary. Remember that Satan loves to torment us into thinking that we came to be in this darkness by our own doing, or that it is a punishment by God. Speak the truth into these lies. Remember that you are in the darkness because of God’s plan for you. And remember that God only invests in those who are worthy of His kingdom…like you!

May God show Himself to you in a real way as you continue to be strong during this time of darkness. God will never forget what He has planted, whether it be a seed, or one of His dear children. Grow in the grace and spirit of the Master Gardener.

There IS light just ahead.