Engaging the Darkness

Night of Pure Faith

"Lo, a horror of great darkness fell upon him" (Gen. 15:12).

The sun at last went down, and the swift, eastern night cast its heavy veil over the scene. Worn out with the mental conflict, the watchings, and the exertions of the day, Abraham fell into a deep sleep, and in that sleep is soul was oppressed with a dense and dreadful darkness, such as almost stifled him, and lay like a nightmare upon his heart. Do you understand something of the horror of that darkness? When some terrible sorrow which seems so hard to reconcile with perfect love, crushes down upon the soul, wringing from it all its peaceful rest in the pitifulness of God, and launching it on a sea unlit by a ray of hope; when unkindness, and cruelty maltreat the trusting heart, till it begins to doubt whether there be a God overhead who can see and still permit--these know something of the "horror of great darkness." It is thus that human life is made up; rightness and gloom; shadow and sun; long tracks of cloud, succeeded by brilliant glints of light, and amid all Divine justice is working out its own schemes, affecting others equally with the individual soul which seems the subject of special discipline. O ye who are filled with the horror of great darkness because of God's dealings with mankind, learn to trust that infallible wisdom, which is co-assessor with immutable justice; and know that He who passed through the horror of the darkness of Calvary, with the cry of forsakenness, is ready to bear you company through the valley of the shadow of death till you see the sun shining upon its further side. Let us, by our Forerunner, send forward our anchor, Hope, within the veil that parts us from the unseen; where it will grapple in ground and will not yield, but hold until the day dawns, and we follow it into the haven guaranteed to us by God's immutable counsel. --F. B. Meyer

The disciples thought that that angry sea separated them from Jesus. Nay, some of them thought worse than that; they thought that the trouble that had come upon them was a sign that Jesus had forgotten all about them, and did not care for them. Oh, dear friend, that is when troubles have a sting, when the devil whispers, "God has forgotten you; God has forsaken you"; when your unbelieving heart cries as Gideon cried, "If the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us?" The evil has come upon you to bring the Lord nearer to you. The evil has not come upon you to separate you from Jesus, but to make you cling to Him more faithfully, more tenaciously, more simply.  --F. S. Webster, M.A.

Never should we so abandon ourselves to God as when He seems to have abandoned us. Let us enjoy light and consolation when it is His pleasure to give it to us, but let us not attach ourselves to His gifts, but to Himself; and when He plunges us into the night of pure faith, let us still press on through the agonizing darkness. Oh, for faith that brings the triumph When defeat seems strangely near! Oh, for faith that brings the triumph Into victory's ringing cheer-- Faith triumphant; knowing not defeat or fear. --Herbert Booth

How often are we compelled to circumvent the darkness? How frequently do we look for  the path by which the brightness of the sun illuminates every step. Far too often, the Christian believer assumes that there is no profitability in the darkness. There is an assumption made that the darkness has come to rob us of what is precious with the Lord. As with all that God allows into our lives, the darkness has great purpose in the development of faith and trust in the Lord. You see, the darkness requires faith, its demands it. The darkness empties self, and demands that we believe if we are to overcome. The darkness shakes us free of independence and sets ablaze a hope that can only be satisfied by a supernaturally radical God. This darkness sets ablaze the hearts yearning to be in the midst of a special movement by God.

The Bible assures us that God dwells in the Darkness. When the darkness settles over your life and it seems that you are facing it alone, remember that God is there and is waiting on you to call out to Him in the midst of the storm as Peter did. He is compassionately stretching out His hand to pull you through. The darkness in not an indicator that God has forgotten, it is often God’s way of drawing us near. There is nothing like the darkness to incline us to prayer and supplication. There is no greater force than the darkness to intensify our yearnings to experience God’s presence and power. The darkness has of way focusing our vision and recentering our hope.

Oh, when the darkness settles overhead and the ability to see what lies before us is withdrawn, how passionate is our cry to the father to sense His protection. When “the valley of the shadow of death” is our residence, how inexorable are our cries to God to move on our behalf. When the vicissitudes of life roll in and life makes no sense, how implacable are our strivings to have God make sense of our mess. No, the darkness does not mean separation, but represents the opportunity for intimate fellowship with our creator.

The enemy has promulgated a lie that says darkness equals God’s absence; however, the infallible Word of God assures me that my God dwells in the darkness. He is still powerful in the darkness, He still hears in the darkness. He still answers prayer in the darkness. He still works miracles in the darkness. He still executes the impossible in the darkness, and at the right moment He will transform your dark moment into a phosphorescent light that shines bright for all to see. You will get the victory and He will get the glory.

I encourage you to engage the darkness that befalls you with a confidence that believes God is standing with you. He has promised to go with you, to fight for you, to protect you, to elevate you, to heal you, to restore you. Spend your time in darkness seeking the only one that is capable of of bringing light and while the darkness still lingers, know that something special is being wrought out in the darkness. God is moving in the darkness setting the stage for your coronation. Breakthroughs are built in the empty corners of darkness. ~ Dr. Rick Wallace