Trust God in the Dark

Trust God in the Dark

Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. -- Isaiah 50:10

When I was a kid there was a ride on the Boardwalk in Wildwood that was half fun-house, half roller coaster. There were times that you had to walk through several mazes completely in the dark. You couldn't see your hand in front of you. As a kid, it was scary. The good news was that my Dad was walking in front of us leading the way.

While we couldn't see anything, we trusted our Dad enough that he would get us through to the end and get us back outside safely. All of a sudden we began to see the light, and when we stepped into the light -- wow -- how cool was that!

There are times when we go through life when all seems dark. These are the times we need to trust God in the dark. The writer of Streams in the Desert so wonderfully describes this for us today:

What is a believer to do in times of darkness -- a darkness of perplexities and confusion -- a darkness not of the heart but of the mind? These times of darkness come to a faithful and believing disciple who is walking obediently in the will of God. They come as seasons when he does not know what to do or which way to turn. His sky becomes overcast with clouds, and the clear light of heaven does not shine on his path, so that he feels as if he were groping his way through complete darkness.

Dear believer, does this describe you? What should you do in times of darkness? LISTEN TO THE WORD: "Let him ... trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God." Actually the FIRST thing is to do NOTHING. This is a difficult thing for our lowly human nature to do. There is a saying, "When you are rattled, don't rush." In other words, when you are confused and do not know what to do, DO NOTHING. When you find yourself in a spiritual fog, do not run ahead, but slow the pace of your life. And if necessary, KEEP YOUR LIFE'S SHIP ANCHORED OR TIED TO THE DOCK!!!

The right thing is simply to TRUST GOD, for while we trust, He can work. Worrying, however, prevents Him from doing anything for us. If the darkness covering us strikes terror in our hearts and we run back and forth, seeking in vain to find a way of escape from the dark trial where God's providence has placed us, then the Lord cannot work on our behalf.

Only the peace of God will quiet our minds and put our hearts at rest. We must place our hand in His as a little child and allow Him to lead us into the bright sunshine of His love. He knows the way out of the dense, dark forest, so may we climb into HIS arms, trusting Him to rescue us by showing us the shortest and most reliable road.

Remember: We are NEVER without a pilot -- even when we do not know which way to steer!

My brother, are you in one of those dark times? Then heed these words: TRUST GOD IN THE DARK! -- Bill Welte is President of America's KESWICK

God's WORD for YOU: Proverbs 8; Isaiah 30-31; Philippians 4

Great Quote: Never doubt in the dark what God has told you in the light!