Have you ever
noticed how easily scripture and spiritual advice rolls off our tongues when
the darkness belongs to someone else? ‘Take heart, God has a plan for you.’ ‘God
will be faithful.’ ‘Turn your burdens over to the Lord.’ These are all great sentiments but the real
power of scripture is when we are the ones to digest it in our dark times. Each of us has within our heart that secret place that we would rather God
leave alone. It is the place we strive
most to control, manipulate and calculate
without God. It commands our constant feeding like an insatiable beast. We can bank on the fact that what becomes our
worship will become our darkness.
Because that area holds our greatest attention God will use it to reveal
Himself, and show us His riches in those secret places. We will learn about His faithfulness and be
comforted by His loving nature when we are forced to trust Him with our
greatest need.
‘What we perceive as dark periods in our
lives is designed to be treasures from God. They are actually riches stored in
secret places. We cannot see those times in this light because of the
often-accompanying pain or fear that prevents us from accepting these times as
treasures. You see, unless we are cast into times in which we are completely at
God's mercy for breakthroughs in our lives, we will never experience God's
faithfulness in those areas. We will never know how personal He is, or that He
can be trusted to meet the deepest needs in our lives.’ Os Hillman, Today
God Is First.
I cannot tell you all
the times God has responded to my deepest need with something so ludicrously
unique to me…a moment in time that reminded me I have a Father who knows me
personally on every level. When I
experience a treasure in darkness I know that these are divine blessings from
God. They are tender reminders that the
words I give to others are also mine for the taking.
‘Brenda, take heart, I have a plan for you…I
will be faithful…Give me your burdens.’
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