God promises us peace, but not smooth sailing or immunity from life's problems. Faith is like film; it's developed in the dark. Dark days make us lean on God in ways we normally wouldn't. The truth is, if our faith was never tested we wouldn't be motivated to pursue God and draw closer to Him. Thus, for me "On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand." It's easy to praise God when your health is good and your bills are paid. However it's when the light suddenly turns to darkness that we discover what our faith is made of and where our trust truly lies. It's in those seasons that we develop...Night Vision! Sometimes God doesn't tell us WHY because He wants us to know WHO. In Psalms 23 David goes from talking ABOUT God, "The Lord is my Shepherd," to talking WITH Him, "Thou art with me." So what really happened in between? David learned that no matter how dark the way is, the Lord is there to guide us. He discovered along his journey that it's better to walk through the valley with God than stand on the mountaintop alone. God doesn't always light the path in advance, but He promises, "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee" (Isa 43:2). So when you feel like you're out of your depth or in over your head, claim the promise! Job had many unanswered questions, but when he began to understand the difference between REASON and RELATIONSHIP, he told God, "I...heard about your before, but now I have seen you" (Job 42:5 TLB). When you can't find the reason, trust the relationship. God won't fail you. Contrary to what you may think, darkness isn't always the work of the enemy. Sometimes it's one of God's best teaching tools. You get to know the Lord by going through storms with Him. The Psalmist said, "To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you" (Ps 139:12 NLT). So instead of running from your problems, ask God to develop your night vision, to show you "treasures of darkness...hidden in secret places" (NRS). GOD BLESS!
Posted By: Jessica Kyle
Saturday, February 7th 2009 at 1:38PM
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