Treasures In The Dark

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither the present or the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
                                                           Romans 8:38-39




One of the fundamental cravings we have as people is to feel secure. We want it in our relationship with God, in our marriages, in our families, in our health, in our careers, in our finances, and in all the things for which we pour out our lives. When we wake up in the mornings, we begin our day planning out the things that need to be accomplished in order to make us and our families feel more secure. When life clicks along in a way that we perceive it should, it would seem that things are secure... that is, until life throws a curveball. Especially, a curveball for which we are ill-prepared.

It comes to us in the form of a phone call, or an unexpected illness, a divorce, or an accident. It can come through news from a loved one, or a job loss, infertility, or the death of someone dear. It can occur within a second, or drag out for months and years.  These are the times when it feels like our security is being shaken to the core.

After we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, God passionately desires that we have assurance of our salvation. In Hebrews 6:17, we are told that "God desire(s) to show [us] more convincingly" that we are heirs of the promise and that His saving purposes for us are unshakeable. He wants for us to rest in His promises and enjoy the security He provides for those who are His children.

According to the book, Heaven on Earth, written in 1654 by Thomas Brooks, we can be assured of all the promises God's Word provides for His children. He states,
     "Beloved in our dearest Lord, you are those worthy 'of whom this world is not worthy'
                                                      Hebrews 11:38
                                   You are the princes that 'prevail with God'
                                                      Genesis 32:28
                         You are those 'excellent ones' in whom is all Christ's delight
                                                      Psalm 16:3
You are His glory. You are His chosen, culled, prime instruments that He will use to carry out His best and greatest works against His worst and greatest enemies in these latter days.

While God works overtime to convince us of our eternal security and the love He has for us, there can be seasons of our lives when we struggle to be convinced. Fear, doubt, and anxiety can worm their ways into our thinking until we forget that God is bigger than our circumstances and succumb to the pressures of the day. This is what happened to Peter:

"And Peter answered Him, 'Lord, if it is You, command me to come to you on the water'. Jesus said, 
'Come'. So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, 'Lord, save me!' Jesus immediately reached out His hand and took hold of him, saying to him, 'O you of little faith, why did you doubt?' And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased" (Matthew 14:28-33).

The thing Peter did wrong was to take his eyes off Jesus; the thing Peter did right was to cry out to Jesus. The Bible teaches us that to 'cry out' is to speak audibly with great emotion concerning an urgent need. He invites us to pray this way when we desperately need His mercy. It takes both faith and humility to cry out to God. It renounces self-sufficiency and appeals to the goodness of our Heavenly Father.

The Bible promises us that God both hears and responds to our cries. In Psalm 3:4, David wrote, "I was crying out to the Lord with my voice, and He answered me from His holy mountain." The name of Jesus invites both His power and authority into our situation.

While God hears us and responds to us, we may not always see the solution immediately. If He allows the problem to remain for a period of time, it is for His good purposes. While we wait for His perfect timing, we can always count on His comfort and presence in our lives, which is what supplies us with joy and hope.

There are times, however, when things feel extremely dark. This is a darkness that is not caused by sin, nor is it caused by ignorance. Actually, it is a darkness that comes because you are walking with God.  It came to every major man or woman in Scripture.  It came to Abraham when he stood waiting for God to accept his sacrifice (Genesis 15:12). It came to Moses waiting on the mountain to receive the commandments in the "thick darkness" where God was (Deuteronomy 5:22).  It came to Job when he "looked for good" but "evil came" (Job 30:26). It came to David more than once throughout the Psalms.

There are times when God intentionally brings darkness to our lives. This is the darkness that will not lift until it has accomplished the perfect work within our souls. Jacob was left alone in the darkness and "a man wrestled with him until daybreak" (Genesis 32:24). This kind of darkness is inescapable, but eventually God does provide the daylight.

The way you know if this is a God-ordained darkness is that you will usually feel emptiness and helplessness. God sanctions these feelings with purpose. What is empty, God fills. What is helpless, God saves and delivers. Like a newborn infant, we learn to depend on God in all new ways. We come to expect that He will meet our needs, even if it is impossible to imagine how in the natural.

If your world seems dark today, remember that this world is not our home and we will never be afforded complete security on this earth. We can learn to have faith that is unshakeable, though, in the midst of our circumstances. And, our circumstances can be used to draw us closer to the Lord and increase in our dependance upon Him. We can learn to trust God, even when we cannot see. We can stand and even keep walking, knowing that God is with us even if we cannot see or feel His presence.

We must say and do the things daily that convince us of the truth of all of God's Word. Not one single one of us is the exception to the truth of the Bible. Write down the promises He gives pertaining to your circumstances and declare them daily over your life. Believe God is who He says He is and He will do what He says He will do. Recall daily all of the things God has already accomplished in your life.

As the world around us continues to get darker,  we can remain convinced of our eternal security and the everlasting love of God. When circumstances are difficult and consuming, we can keep our eyes on Jesus and cry out to Him. He will never leave us or forsake us and He is orchestrating all things for our good and the benefit of others. That is who He is and that is what He does. He is good all the time and there are always treasures that He has prepared for you, even if you are sitting in the dark.


"I will give you hidden treasures hidden in the darkness- secret riches.  I will do this so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God os Israel, the One who calls you by name."
                                                           Isaiah 45:3