Dark Days

Today's Reading: Psalm 73; Hosea 10:12; & Hebrews 4

Scripture:

"Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and washed my hands in innocence…" Psalm 73:13

Observation:

With God first in a person's life all things are supposed to go easy and work out. Prayers are answered. Blessings rain down. The wicked get punished. Peace, prosperity, and fulfillment are supposed to be available in ample supply if we commit our lives to God. While this is a pretty picture, it is not reality. No one is shielded from dark days. There is not a man of God in the Bible, not a single one, who did not experience a season of darkness.

Life gets rough and things can fall apart. Prayers sit silent. The souls dry up. Wicked run free. It can often feel as though torment, lack, and emptiness await every move. It is during these dark moments that God often does some of His greatest work.

Application:

I hate dark days. There is absolutely nothing fun about them. Seasons of darkness always begin with me sensing a gap between the promises of God's word and the reality of my life. Any time this happens there is a cycle I go through. First, I try to understand it on my own. Second, it becomes troubling to me and begins to make me doubt. Third, my doubt begins to turn into bitterness towards God. This third step is when the darkness gets thick. God ceases to exist to me and loneliness sets in hard. My faith is pressed right up to the brink of breaking.

As much as I hate dark days, I love coming out of them. There is no closer feeling to God than the feeling I get when I leave a season of darkness. Just as there is a process that led me into the darkness, there is a process that leads me out. First, I have to take the issue into the sanctuary of God. This is a hard step because it is not the same as raising a complaint against God. This is more me coming to God, confessing my sin, laying aside my issue and deciding I value Him over my preferred way of doing things. Second, I receive His healing. As I lay aside my issues God begins to tend to the wounds the experience left me and my strength begins to return. Finally, He answers my question. When the answer no longer really matters and my demands of justice have ceased, God provides the clarity I need to strengthen my faith and get back into the fight.

Prayer:

Life is not neat and tidy. Everything does not work according to my own logic and timing. There are periods of life when the temptation to doubt Your justice are just too appetizing so I take the bait and end up in some really bad places.

Father I beg that You guard my heart and faith today. There is nothing of this world that can replace my relationship with You. Nearness to You is my good. There is nothing else that I desire besides Your tangible presence. Keep my eyes focused on Your truth. Remind me that darkness only lasts a season but You promises are forever.