Blessed and Broken

Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what I whisper in your ear, shout from the housetops for all to hear! (Mathew 10:27)

There are times when God puts us through an experience of darkness to teach us to hear and obey His voice. When we are in the dark our senses are heightened, we hear sounds and detect movements that otherwise would be non-existent in the light. In the dark our deepest fears prey on our minds, we become vulnerable to the slightest movement, our imaginations run wild. Yet the darkness is a deliberate act of God, it is His divine will, for it is only in the dark that He teaches us the greatest lessons. Contained within darkness are treasures and secret riches (Is 45:3), but they can only be learnt in silence and stillness. There is hope in realising that before Jesus broke the bread He blessed it, for it is only in the breaking that multiplication took place. The bread was not blessed after it was broken and torn, but the blessing was in the tearing (Matthew 14:19).

When you are in darkness wait until God brings the light; never try and help Him bring better times, for they will surely come at the appointed time. Even in Genesis 1:1 after God had created the heavens and the earth, darkness covered the deep; but yet in this void and desolation the Spirit was hovering, waiting for the next instruction.

Oswald Chambers said of dark times: 'Pay attention when God puts you into darkness, and keep your mouth closed while you are there. Are you in the dark right now in your circumstances, or in your life with God? If so, then remain quiet. If you open your mouth in the dark, you will speak while in the wrong mood - darkness is the time to listen. Don't talk to other people about it; don't read books to find out the reason for the darkness; just listen and obey. If you talk to other people, you cannot hear what God is saying. This is a time of discipline and instruction not displeasure.'