How God Ministers to Us Through Our Times of Darkness
Isaiah 50:10-11
Introduction:
Psalm 88:1-9; 15-18
A Personal Experience
My current understanding
Oswald Chambers describes this situation as one in which God seems to “withdraw for a time His conscious blessing.” The sixteenth century mystic John of the Cross called this experience “The Dark Night of the Soul” and described it as “an important spiritual discipline, whilst tortuous, is a fruitful ascetic path to the goal of intimate union with God.”
The “Dark Night of the Soul” described
Jesus Had His Own Dark Night of the Soul
All throughout the New Testament, we are told that we are to keep our eyes focused on Jesus, because He is our example. The apostle Peter made this fact very plain. (1 Peter 4:1; 1 Peter 2:21)
1. On the Mount of Olives, prior to His crucifixion, Jesus experienced incredible darkness. (Luke 22:42-44; Mark 14:34)
2. On the cross, just before His death, Jesus experienced total abandonment by His Father and the world around Him was plunged into darkness. (Mark 15:33-34)
3. Isaiah 53 describes prophetically Jesus’ “Dark night of the soul.” (Isaiah 53:4-8)
The Fellowship of His Suffering
(Matthew 26:38; Philippians 3:10; 2 Timothy 2:11-12; Romans 8:17)
How should we, as Christians, approach this “dark night of the soul”? Isaiah 50:10-11
Here, “darkness” is NOT sin, but rather “uncertainty/confusion/despair/stress”.
This passage does not address “lost” people, but those who very much fear the Lord. “Darkness” refers to “absence of light”. When a person who fears the Lord, obeys His voice, acts in reverence to God, suddenly finds themselves walking in darkness – it means that light has been withdrawn.
Compare the two possibilities:
1. Walking in the light:
- I know where I am going
- I have vision
- I see the way
- I can size up the situation
2. Walking in the dark
- I cannot see
- I bump into obstacles
- I have lost vision
- I have no perspective
- God is silent
- I struggle to evaluate properly
This is the inevitable experience from time to time for every Christian……However, without these challenges, we are weak, shallow….
Isaiah 50:10-11 suggests three (3) guidelines:
1. Keep on walking – Isaiah 50:10
What is God teaching here?
It is certainly easier to praise God, pray, share, read the Bible, and witness when everything is going well, but what about our strength of faith, over and above circumstances? How do we go in these dark times?
The reason God lets us go through the dark is that He wants us to discover that there is something better Than LIGHT! Yes! It is the Lord!
2. Don’t light your own fire – Isaiah 50:11
Examples of lighting our own fires
Moses, Abraham, Peter
It is very tempting to light your own fire and so help God. There are two reasons why we should avoid this action:
· Darkness is ordained by God as much as is light – Isaiah 45:7 – the purpose of God in creation of the earth and us was to use light and darkness for our growth.
· Man-made light is deceptive, Constant exposure to man-made light leads to a decline in health.
Faith can only be developed in darkness
So don’t light your own fire.
3. Find a staff to lean on – Isaiah 50:10
Rely = trust = lean on as with a staff/rod
Psalm 23 NIV – A Psalm of David
Proverbs 3:5-6
Application
What is being said is this:
When God seems a long way away………When your prayers seem unanswered and hit the ceiling…….When you read your Bible and it fails to speak……When your desires for obedience, witness, etc. fade and the darkness is intense…….When there is no emotional peace, no confirmation – what should you do?
· Keep walking
· Don’t light your own fires for light
· Lean on the Lord
God wants us to prove the trustworthiness of Himself at these times…..
(Hebrews 11:1, 6; Romans 1:17; Romans 14:23)
Faith is not a luxury, but a necessity.
God gives us times of “darkness” so that we
· Trust in Him rather than our security
· Trust in Him rather than His blessings
· Trust in Him rather that the light
· Trust in Him rather than the results
· Trust in Him rather than our feelings, wishes, needs and prejudices
· To melt away the hardness of our heart and produce brokenness
· To destroy anything in our lives that is useless or unproductive
· To reshape us and make us more pliable for use
· To make us more like Jesus aligned with God’s will
· To endow us with more power
· To experience for ourselves “the fellowship of His sufferings”
· To teach us how to mentor and help others, by learning more about ourselves and our responses to these night seasons and develop compassion for others
· To increase our need and desire for God
· To learn more about the importance of the cross, God’s grace and mercy, God’s ways, God’s love and His word…….the list goes on
Let us thank God for His strange ministries……especially that of darkness. It is a necessary pathway to greater intimacy with and trust in God.
For Reflection and Discussion
1. Think back through your life as a Christian. What were the most faith-strengthening events in your life? Did they involve times of darkness? Om what way?
2. Carefully go back through the note outline to understand the three aspects of advice given in Isaiah 50:10-11 when face with a time of darkness. (1) keep walking; (2) don’t light your own fires for light; (3) lean on the Lord
In your own words, describe each element.
3. As a Christian, in your times of darkness, have you ever tried to work your way through such times by adopting a pathway without reference to God? How did this work out for you?
4. Go back over your experiences as outlined in Q.1. Did you ever apply the advice given in Isaiah 50:10-11 when faced with times of darkness? Did the outcome work for you and was it faith-strengthening in God? In what way?
5. What advice would you give others when they face times of darkness?
6. Spend time in prayer and God’s Word reflecting on the truths of this teaching.
Prayer Needs
Spiritual renewal in Australia
Leadership across the nation
Freedom of religion and speech
Strengthening of families
Youth and community crime
Sexual and relational integrity
Dignity of life and care for aged
Cost of living and care of homeless