May 7, 2012
I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord , the God of Israel, who summons you by name. -- Isaiah 45: 3 (NIV)
The darkness is so foreboding to us sometimes in this world. It is ominous, unknown, and can fill us with dread. But God always assures us that there is never anything we need to fear in this life once we place our faith in Jesus Christ.
Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you." -- Deuteronomy 31: 8 (NLT)
But God always goes even further then we can ever ask or hope for. The key verse today is God assuring us that not only do we have nothing to fear during the dark times in our walk but that He will use those dark periods to give us treasures. That there are riches unheard of within the secret places -- the places we know nothing about yet. How can this be? Think of the dark valleys we have faced and what God has used them for.
First of all, God prepares us in the darkness. The valley is certainly a trying experience but it is in that dark valley where God is working on who we are as a person and as a Christian. There are works that we have yet to do for the Lord. Works that He has prepared for us in advance. But not only must He prepare the work; He must prepare us as well. I can think back to when I was first saved and I had two separate people prophesy that I would preach. I of course did not believe them. When I started taking my ministerial credential courses I remember being tempted to speed through them. God stepped in and reminded me that it was not about time but about preparation. Sometimes when God is going to take you to the next level He has for you He has to first lead you into the dark valley. He has to prepare you.
Secondly, God strengthens us in the dark places. It is in the darkness that we learn to rely even more heavily upon the Lord. It is the reliance that needs to be nurtured if we are to be truly strong. Paul teaches us that it is only in our weakness that the power of Christ can fully rest upon us. The world teaches self-reliance but that is a lie. The more we rely upon ourselves the less we rely upon God -- it's that simple. When we start to think we have arrived we start to rely upon God less. Pride is always seeking to well up inside of us and rob God of the glory due His Name. But when we find ourselves in the dark -- unsure and uncertain -- that is when our pride is squashed.
Lastly, God can provide us with direction in the darkness. Let's face it -- sometimes we think we can know it all. We can read God's will into our lives even when it isn't really there. We can over-Christianize everything. We can have a tendency to make things more difficult than they really are. Sometimes God has to lead us by the still waters. Sometimes those waters might be dark or foreboding. God will use whatever He can to get our attention. If we are heading off in the wrong direction, God will use the darkness to bring us back to Him and through Him we will find the right path. Proverbs teaches us to lean not upon our own understanding but in everything acknowledge Him and He will make our paths known.
Without God we are hopelessly unequipped. In the dark times of our lives God will prepare us. Without God we are hopelessly weak but God will use the darkness to strengthen us. Without God we are aimless but God will use the darkness to show us the direction we need to be heading in. These are treasures beloved. I know we think of treasures in terms of temporal worth but think of the eternal worth of being properly prepared for every battle we will face. Think of the eternal value of having a faith that is so strong nothing can overturn it. Think of the eternal value of knowing we are on the right path. That narrow path few find. The true path to eternal life found only by truly following the will of Almighty God. There are riches in the secret places. There are treasures in the darkness. Do not fear beloved -- He calls you by name!
Rev. Anthony