Listening

As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. (Genesis 15:12)

Oswald Chambers points to the problem of darkness, not the kind caused by sin and spiritual blindness, but that inky sense that God is not talking to me right now. He is not telling me what is going on, what to do next, why life is like it is, those sorts of questions. This is the darkness that has one solution: I must be still and listen.

Abraham went through thirteen years of silence. He had taken Sarah’s advice instead of waiting for God’s light. But as Chambers says, if God gives a vision and darkness follows, I must not take action but wait. I cannot ever try and help God fulfill His word. In that long silence, God destroys all self-sufficiency, leaving no possibility of relying on commonsense or anything else but Him. That means silence and darkness is usually a time of discipline, not displeasure. In others words, drop any attempts to “pump up joy and confidence” or trying to “look on the bright side.” Instead, keep my heart focused on Jesus and trust Him.

Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. (Isaiah 50:10)

I might have assumed that I have no confidence in the flesh, but recognize wanting to help the doctors diagnose and treat my husband. Maybe I am trusting them entirely and not God? Or am I trusting others to pray and not myself? Or is my confidence placed in prayer and not in God Himself, in His blessings and not His Person?

God wants me to know that He is reality and everything else is shadow, even my own understanding. To Him I cling. To Him we must cling. 

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My husband is in an isolation room for which we are thankful. Everyone must put on gown/mask to go in there, even the staff people who bring in and pick up his tray of food. He is being watched closely, treated with expertise, and is thankful — which is normal for him. He is weak, not breathing very deeply, and glad for his IV meds, oxygen, and that they are feeding him solid foods. Right now, there are many shadows.

His anchor holds, so hang on tight!

During this week of bombs and explosions, many have experienced deep and fiery trouble. No doubt some are clinging to God as their anchor, an anchor that holds them through this storm. Who else can be trusted on such dark and difficult days? His grace and promises are like great ships built to withstand the most vicious storms. Christians who can yield to the will of God in patience and without fear or complaining are witness to His stabilizing power and goodness, even in the worst experiences of life.

Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant (Jesus)? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. (Isaiah 50:10)

Not all trials are as extreme or visible at those replayed on the news. Sometimes my tests are visible only to me, taking the form of distractions and temptations that seem determined to pull me away from obedience and keep me from praising God, from being thankful, from trusting and praying to Him. Physical violence is one darkness, but spiritual warfare is also a darkness. When the devil throws his lies at me, I need to cling to God and remember His promises. Christians in Boston and Texas need to remember that ‘this too shall pass.’ I also need to remember that the struggles I face are for a short time only. It will not stay dark.

In trials, it sometimes feels as if God is not happy with me. I’m sure those who have lost limbs or loved ones have cried out or thought, “What did I do to deserve this?” In tears and struggles, the children of God must remember that life will not remain this way.

For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. (Psalm 30:5)

As a small example, my chores sometimes overwhelm me. The solution is always to “do the next thing.” This also is part of the solution for walking through any trial, physical or spiritual. Take one step at a time. Like walking a dark path with a flashlight, each step shines light to see the next step. The reality of Christ being with us carries us along, helping us with the next step. I must agree with the author of this rhyme…

I would rather walk with Christ in the dark

Than to walk alone in the light.

I would rather walk with him by faith

Than to walk by myself with sight.

God makes promises for His people. He says, “I know the plans I have for you, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). In my struggles, I must cling to Jesus Christ with unhesitating trust and anchor myself in His promises remembering that His mercy endures forever. This too shall pass and I can say…

The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands. (Psalm 138:8)

Trusting God in the dark…

In the study of theology, one soon finds a history of disagreement about the very basics of God. Who is He? What is His purpose? How does He interact with man? Or does He? More pointed are the discussions about Jesus Christ, His person, nature and work. Some declare He is fully God and fully man in one person with two natures. While this is the only description that fits with all that Scripture reveals about Him, disagreement is sharp. It swings from one extreme to another, even to say Jesus did not exist, only the idea of Jesus, and we are saved by the idea of Him and not by any actual, historical person or event.

The seminary courses I am taking inform me of these views, but indirectly through the writings of those who discuss them and point out how they do not fit with the revelation recorded in the Bible, or the historical and archeological records. These written accounts are gracious and extremely illuminating, yet it is easy to see the battles that prompted them have been fierce.

Obviously, such struggles are important. What we believe has eternal consequences. Certainly how we understand God also affects the way we live now. The Christian church needs to identify and reject false teaching. We need to answer questions for ourselves as well as for others who are seeking God. What frustrates me are those battles over that which cannot be proved, discovered or verified. Instead, some theologians speculate with personal opinion or flawed reasoning, leading to silly spats that dishonor God and turn the study of theology into a gray area spattered with ego.

Without being too harsh on those who fall into this, I must say that trusting God without a full revelation of what He is doing is a difficult challenge. For instance, He is all-powerful so why does He allow senseless human actions? Case in point: the recent bombings in Boston. Why are children maimed and killed? We can ask the questions, but heaven in silent and many wonder how God can be trusted in the face of this event or others like it.

Today’s devotional verse is in the middle of a chapter that rebukes Israel for disobedience, then compares them to God’s servant who does obey, pointing to Jesus Christ, the only One who fully obeyed God. It says…

Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. (Isaiah 50:10)

I am reminded of my dear mother. When anything happened that she could not understand, she would speculated different scenarios until she found something, anything, that made sense to her and that became the “reason” for the event. This verse does not suggest that. Instead, it says when we are in the dark without anything to help us understand, we are to trust God and rely on Him. This means relying on Him, not for answers, but trusting Him even if He never tells us anything. Faith is knowing what we cannot see, but knowing what? Hebrews offers two verses to explain.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen…. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:1, 6)

What can I trust that I cannot see but that God exists and that He rewards those who seek Him? This is not seeking answers, but seeking Him. He may never make sense of the darkness, but when I draw near to Him, the answers are not nearly as important as being close to Him. Intimacy is a child cuddled on his father’s lap, not a child hearing the reasons why everything happens.

This is what is missing in the ‘theologians’ who must have answers and, if they cannot find them, speculate and rely on human reasoning (which has been flawed by sin also). Instead of simply trusting God in the dark, they do what the very next verse in Isaiah says…

Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who equip yourselves with burning torches! Walk by the light of your fire, and by the torches that you have kindled! This you have from my hand: you shall lie down in torment. (Isaiah 50:11)

Faith is trusting in God, not because I know everything about what He is doing, but because He has revealed enough about Himself to me that I can trust Him in the dark or in the light. This revelation comes through the Word of God and through the person of Jesus Christ.

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. (Hebrews 1:1–2)

Faith is not about knowing everything there is to know, a desire that involves my ego, but faith is knowing and trusting the One who knows everything, and letting Him decide what needs to be revealed. I can curl up close to Him and honor Him even in the mysterious — rather than speculate in an attempt to satisfy any insistence on answers from my sinful nature that refuses to trust Him unless I have them.

The Light of my Life

Today, a dull day with no sunshine, God brings to my mind a question about spiritual dullness. How can a Christian who walks with Jesus Christ, the Light of the world, walk in darkness? I’m thinking there are two ways. 

One happens when God gives me light on a certain thing and I do not obey it. If I persist in disobedience, then I lose my sense of direction and stumble around until I repent and follow the light He has given me. This is the darkness of disobedience.

The other happens when the Lord brings trials and storms as a test of my trust in Him, and to prove His faithfulness to me. Many Christians can testify to times that the presence of the Lord seemed missing. Even though sin is not involved, it feels similar to when I turn away, only I haven’t. Like Job, God is verifying my love for Him.

The Bible describes both reasons for being in the dark, but the second one is far more perplexing. Job was not the only saint of old that experienced this either. Others wrote about it and today’s devotional highlights one of them.

Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. (Isaiah 50:10)

This speaks of one who fears and obeys God yet is without light and still must fear and obey. The devotional writer quotes an old seaman who said, “In fierce storms, we can do but one thing, there is only one way; we must put the ship in a certain position and keep her there.”

Sometimes my spiritual vision is darkened. A storm might rage, or just life seems mostly cloud cover and dullness. I cannot reason my way through it. Past experiences give no light and prayer does not help me. In this darkness, I must rely on the sure promises of God and simply hang in there.

I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them. (Isaiah 42:16)

In keeping with the seaman’s quote, I must put my heart in one position and keep it there, stayed upon the Lord. No matter what is going on in that darkness — winds, waves, cross seas, thunder, lightning, looming rocks, roaring breakers — I must “lash myself to the helm” and hold on to my confidence in God’s faithfulness. I must face the devil whose lies come heavily on me during these times and say…

Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me. (Micah 7:8)

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Lord, I can say with the psalmist, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” yet I also know that, “Even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you. (Psalm 139:11–12) Because You are light and I belong to You, I can also say, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1)