I am in one of those times where I am asking God for clarity on a certain issue as I don’t know what to do. It’s one of those times the Lord refers to as “darkness,” which I have always pictured as just a time of waiting. But I think it’s more than that as I so often forget that in the darkness, He is there with me.

Matt 10:27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. ESV

I read somewhere that these times … and we all have them … are usually not caused by sin or our disobedience. Rather they are times when God is “disciplining” our character, when He is using the darkness as a means of drawing us closer; learning more about Him. That’s why I think I have difficulty in these times as I am “looking for answers” and my mind is searching in the darkness rather than just being quiet and listening. It always seems to be a struggle for me as I find myself limiting my focus to what I want to know, rather than listening to what He wants to tell me.

I should be following Isaiah’s advice:

Isa 30:15b … In quietness and confidence shall be your strength…” NKJV

Success in the darkness is the result of being “quiet” and standing in “confidence” in the fact that God is there with us and He has something to say; What I tell you in the dark. And remembering that unless I am quiet and listen, I will not hear what He “whispers.” And what He whispers in the darkness usually has nothing to do with what I am focused on at the moment. It’s what He wants me to hear that I always find out later directly impacts the answers I am seeking.

It’s key to remember that the Lord’s way with us always involves developing our character through His Word and His Spirit. If we will “listen” in the darkness He will tell us what to “say” in the light. And that leads to asking some difficult questions: What am I saying in the light? Is it that which He revealed to me in the darkness? Have I heard what He whispered? Did I listen?

Ah this life truly is a marathon … one day at a time … one step at a time … one lesson at a time … and times in darkness.