"Why, O
Lord, do You stand far off? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?" - Psalm 10:1
One of the great mysteries of God
is His ways. Some of His ways almost appear to bring us into the most difficult
places, as if He were indifferent to our circumstances. It would appear that He
is turning His head from our sorrows. These events in our lives have a
particular objective to perform for us. That objective is to bring us to the
end of ourselves that we might discover the treasure of darkness. "Yet when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for
light, then came darkness." (Job
30:26)
When we are taken into these dark
periods, we begin to see light that we never knew existed. Our sensitivities
become heightened and our ability to see through spiritual eyes is illuminated.
Unless we are taken into these times, our souls never develop any depth of
character. We do not gain wisdom, only knowledge. Knowledge is gained through
understanding; wisdom is gained through the experience of darkness.
After we go through these
periods, we discover that God was, in fact, with us throughout the entire time.
It does not feel or appear that He is there when we are in the midst of the
dark periods. However, He is there walking with us. He has told us countless
times that He will never leave us. However, when we are in those dark periods,
it does not feel like He is there because He does not rescue us from the
circumstances. He does this for our benefit in order that we might become more
like Jesus. Jesus learned obedience from the things He suffered (see Heb. 5:8).
What does that say about how you and I will learn obedience? Embrace the dark
times and gain the wisdom that God intends for you from these times.
Os Hillman
By permission only. To learn more
about Os Hillman, go to: www.marketplaceleaders.org.
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