Trusting God in Times of Darkness
Everyone experiences suffering, snags or sadness to some degree. When things are going well, we feel that all is possible, and our trust and faith in God comes naturally. The test is when things aren’t going well. These are the times when our trust and faith can be shaken. Negative thoughts can fill our minds and cause us to ask, “Where is God?” Why, then, doesn’t God do something about all the evil in the world? I’ve asked myself that question many times —there are times in our lives, as God’s people, that we have to serve God in the midst of darkness. Not all suffering is the result of sin.
If you are in darkness, it does not necessarily mean that you are out of the will of God or that you have sinned before the Lord. We must continue to stand on God’s Word. The promises of God remain the same whether the sun is shining or darkness comes to us. When you are in the dark, you do not have to have an explanation, you need God. A relationship is more important than a reason. God is absolutely holy and pure, and there’s only one thing God can’t do: He can’t do anything that is against His nature. In other words, the one thing God can’t do is sin. Thus it is more important to be with God in the valley of darkness than to be on sunlight peaks without Him.
Bible says “If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the Lord and rely on your God.”(Isaiah 50:10) God constantly encourages us to trust Him in the dark. There is a difference in trusting God when things are going well and when everything seems to go wrong. The Bible never guarantees a life free from darkness. But the dark moments of our life last only as long as necessary for God to accomplish His purposes. God desires to even use us in the midst of darkness. As you and I continue to trust and obey Him, God uses hardship to develop the character of Christ within us.
How does God develop our faith in the darkness? God tells us to take two steps.
First, we are to look to the Lord (“trust in the Lord”). We live by faith not by sight; we live by God’s promises, not by explanations. Thomas Watson has said, “Where reason cannot wade, faith must swim.” Just because it does not make sense to us, does not mean that it does not make sense to God. Just because it does not make sense now, does not mean that it will not make sense later. God uses trials, difficulty, and pain to equip us for more effective service to Him. We must continue to stand on God’s Word regardless what is going on in life. God’s Word never changes. It remains constant through all of the seasons of our life. The test of our character is not what we do in the light. The test of our character is what we do in the dark. So Never doubt in the dark what you learned in the light.
Second we must “rely on our God” Isaiah 45:3 God says "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." Faith in God means we rely on him and depend on his reliability. Having faith means realizing that God is bigger and greater than any troubles that you go through. Trust God reveals the most tested, tried and true faith in an All-Knowing Creator.
Genuine faith is relying on God's direction and on who he is. God is reliable. So what we need to recognize as dark periods in our lives are designed to be treasured from God. There are treasures of darkness. For example, have you ever heard someone say, “The stars are out tonight?” The fact is that the stars are out in the daytime, but we cannot see them because of the sunlight. There are some treasures of darkness that are only revealed at night. In the light, we see that which is near, but the darkness we see that which is far away. In the light, we may think our brightest thoughts in the day, but we will think our deepest thoughts during the night. We may learn more about others during the day, but we will learn more about ourselves during the dark. You will gradually realize that in the darkness you were learning some eternal truths.
If God is the One who has allowed darkness to come your way, then do not be foolish to light your own fire. In other words, do not try to undo what God is doing. A manmade fire is deceptive. In contrast to the righteous (Isa 50:10), the unrighteous, in times of darkness, instead of trusting in God, trust in themselves (kindle a light for themselves to walk by) Isaiah 50:11 says “But watch out, you who live in your own light and warm yourselves by your own fires. This is the reward you will receive from me: You will soon fall down in great torment.”
For example, God told Abraham that he and Sarah would eventually have a child of their own. God gave a promise. However, God did not fulfill that promise immediately. Abraham, in the midst of his darkness of doubt, created his own fire with Hagar. Ishmael was born. Think about the suffering that came to Abraham and the world because he did not wait on God in the midst of his darkness. Has darkness come to your life? Are you waiting on God or are you creating your own fire?
John Milton, in the darkness of his blindness, wrote Paradise Lost. While John Bunyan was in the Bedford Jail, London, England, he wrote Pilgrims Progress. During John the Revelator’s exile on the Island of Patmos, he wrote the Book of Revelation. This is why David, the ancient Jewish king said: “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I may learn thy statutes.” (Psalm 119:71) In Psalm 13, David demonstrated what it means to trust God in tough times. Feeling forgotten, forsaken, sorrowful, and subdued, David cried out for God’s consideration and illumination. As he prayed, his perspective changed, and he was able to rejoice—even though his circumstances remained the same. Suffering prepares us for greater blessing.
The storms of life may descend on us without warning, but God always has a rainbow in store for those who turn their lives over to Him and trust Him even in the most difficult circumstances. Job said, “God has put darkness in my path” (Job 19:8). Habakkuk exclaimed, “How long shall I cry and you not hear (Hab. 1:2). John the Baptist sent messengers from the prison and asked Jesus, “Are you really the Messiah or should we look for someone else?” Each of these great men of God came to a time in their life that they did not understand or comprehend why and what was fully happening to them. God’s care for his children is like the sun: it’s constant. Even though the clouds obscure it, it doesn’t mean the sun isn’t there.
When God created the heavens and the earth, darkness was upon the face of the deep. When the Eternal Son became flesh, He was carried for a time in the darkness of the sweet virgin’s womb. When He died for the life of the world, it was in the darkness, seen by no one at the last. When He arose from the dead, it was ?very early in the morning.? No one saw Him rise. It is as if God were saying, ?” What I am is all that need matter to you, for there lie your hope and your peace. I will do what I will do, and it will all come to light at last, but now I do it is My secret. Trust Me, and be not afraid. May you always be blessed with God's love and learn to TRUST GOD more and more every day. No matter what your circumstance or situation, God is with you even when you don t know He is there. So you can TRUST GOD in the light and in the darkness through any of life s issues.