My devotional this morning opened with this verse from Isaiah 45:3
And I will give you the treasures of darkness,
And hidden wealth of secret places,
In order that you may know that it is I,
The LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.
When I am struggling with brokenness, it definitely feels like darkness is my constant companion. I can feel alone and hopeless. What the enemy would like me to believe is that in the darkness nothing grows, nothing is seen, I am forgotten. It feels like there is no purpose and these days, months, years are wasted.
What is true is that there are treasures of darkness that God allows in our lives, in my life.
In Isaiah 45 we are introduced to Cyrus, King of Persia. The thing is, we are told about what God will do through him, before Cyrus is even born! Before this man even takes his first breath as a baby, God has treasures of darkness planned for him. And the purpose? That he would know God. God calls him by name and has purpose for him, even in darkness...maybe especially in the darkness.
God shows His sovereignty in verse 7, "The One forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does these."
The truth is, God forms light AND creates darkness. These are both from God's hand. Who are we to want only part of what God has to offer? If God is in control of all things and allows darkness into our lives for a season, we can trust Him to mine for the treasure that is hidden there.
Kristian Stanfill sings one of my favorite songs, In Christ Alone. One line stands out as I consider God's purposes, "When darkness falls, I find my hope in Christ alone." When darkness falls. If you've walked with Christ very long, you know darkness. Have you considered it to be a treasure? This is new for me, but I believe that in my broken moments, when darkness falls, we do find our hope in Christ alone. There is no other.
As Stanfill talks about this song he says, "Worship is our weapon that leads us out of the darkness." It doesn't magically transport us to a better place, it leads us out...and this is my treasure today. There is a way out of the darkness. This is part of my journey. Christ alone has the power to lead me out. So I will worship and follow Him into His glorious light.
Song: In Christ Alone, Kristian Stanfill
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Beautifully written. I have lived this truth. Thank you for listening to God and then blogging some of what He's teaching you. Powerful lessons.
ReplyDeleteLove you! You are a blessing to me.