Darkness Before The Dawn
“God works by contraries so that a man feels himself to be lost in the very moment when he is on the point of being saved” (Martin Luther). See 1 Sam 17:4-11, 16, 24, 40-51. God is light (1 Jn 1:5) yet He is said to be surrounded by darkness (Ps 97:2). Mysterious timing. Incomprehensible ways.
We often give up too easily. Everything around us seems to disappoint us so we become discouraged (Lk 24:13-34). It can be difficult to keep hope alive and to be optimistic. Perhaps Satan is fighting us more fiercely than normal. Maybe the Lord is testing us. The darkness could be a time of purification: “The dark night is God’s attack on religion. If you genuinely desire union with the unspeakable love of God, then you must be prepared to have your ‘religious’ world shattered” (Rowan Williams). The Lord could have allowed the darkness because our focus was wrong. This would be the case if we are self-absorbed or seeking the spotlight because those who believe in Christ have died to self and are neither to be self-absorbed (Lk 9:24; 14:33) nor seeking the spotlight (1 Thess 4:11, Phillips). However, the darkness could be present to teach us about ourselves and give us compassion for others (Mt 5:7).
We will all have to face dark times (Ps 23:4). As Thomas a Kempis put it, “I have never met a man so devout that he has not experienced a time of withdrawal of grace.” Jesus Christ did and so will we (Mt 27:45-46). Whatever the reason for our darkness, though, let’s look to Him. It may just be closer to our dawn than we think. If it isn’t, He will sustain us until it is the appointed time for us to come out of the darkness (Ps 107:14).
When God wants a couple or family to alter course, the revelation is normally clear.