Purpose Behind Darkness

What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Matt 10:27

Our Lord is constantly taking us into the dark in order to tell us something. It may be the darkness of a lonely and desolate life, in which some illness has cut us off from the light and the activity of life; or the darkness of some crushing sorrow and disappointment.

It is there He tells us His secret- great and wonderful, eternal and infinite. He causes our eyes, blinded by the glare of things on earth, to behold the heavenly constellations. And our ears suddenly detect even the whisper of His voice, which has been so often drowned out by the turmoil of earth's loud cries.

Yet these revelations always come with a corresponding responsibility: "What I tell you.....speak in the daylight...proclaim from the roofs." We are not to linger in the darkness or stay in the closet. Soon we will be summoned to take our position in the turmoil and the storms of life. And when that moment comes, we are to speak and proclaim what we have learned.

This gives new meaning to suffering, the saddest part of which s often the apparent feeling of uselessness it causes. We tend to think, "How useless I am! What am I doing that is making a difference for others? Why is the 'expensive perfume'(John 12:3) of my soul being wasted?" These are the desperate cries of the suffer, but God has a purpose in all of it. He takes His children to higher levels of fellowship so they may here Him speaking" face to face, as a man speaks with his friend"(Exodus 33:11), and then deliver the message to those at the foot of the mountain. Were the forty days Moses spent on the mountain wasted? What about the time Elijah spent at Mount Horeb or the years Paul spent in Arabia?

There is no shortcut to life of faith, which is an absolute necessity for a holy and victorious life. We must have periods of lonely meditation and fellowship with God. Our souls must have times of fellowship with Him on the mountain and experience valleys of quiet rest in the shadow of great rock. We must spend some nights beneath the stars, when darknes has covered the things of earth, silenced the noise of human life, and expanded our view, revealing the infinite and the eternal. All these are as absolutely essential as food is for our bodies.

In the way alone can the sense of God's presence becoome the unwavering possession of our souls, enabling us to continually say, as the psalmist once wrote, "You are near, O Lord" Psalms 119:151.

Some hearts, like evening promises, open more beautifully in the shadows of life.

Watch For God!!!!

I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me. Habakkuk 2:1

Without watchful expectation on our part, what is in waiting on God for help? There will be no help without it. If we ever fail to receive strenght and protection from Him, it is because we have not been looking for it. Heavenly help is often offered yet goes right past us. We miss it because we are not standing in the tower, carefully watching the horizon for evidence of its approach, and then are unready to throw the gates of our heart open so it may enter. The person who has no expectations and therfore fails to be on the alert will receive little help. Watch for God in the events of your life.

There is an old saying: "They who watch for the providence of God will never lack the providence of God to watch for." And we could turn the saying around as well and say, "They who never watch for providence of God will never have the providence of God to watch for." Unless you put the water jars out when it rains, you will never collect the water.

We need to be more businesslike and use common sense with God in claiming His promise. If a man were to go to the bank several times a day, lay his check at the teller's window, and then pick it up and leave without cashing it, it would not be long befor the bank would have him ordered from the premises.

People who got to the bank have a purpose in mind. They present their check, recieve their cash, and then leave, having transacted real business. They do not lay their check on the counter, discuss the beauty of the signature, and point out the lovely design on it. No, they want to receive money for their check and will not be satisfied without it. These are the people who are always welcome at the bank , Unlike those who simply waste the teller's time.

Unfortunately, a great many people also play at praying. They do not expect God to give them an answer, so they simply squander their prayer time. Our heavenly Father desires us to transact real business with Him in our prayer.

Your hope will not be cut off. Proverbs 23:18