Have you ever been in the dark and unable to see? It can be frightening.
There are times in the Christian life, when it seems we are walking in the dark. It may be a lingering sickness, bereavement, a business setback or a broken relationship. Going through the experience, we feel the lights have gone out. In those times, everything seems dark and it’s as if God has withdrawn his presence and we are left to grope through our experience on our own.
Times like that are bewildering, even for those who have been believers for a long time. Friends don’t understand, our prayers don’t seem to get past the ceiling, the Bible is difficult to understand, our efforts to serve God appear to be ineffective and it seems like there is no hope of things changing.
Times like this are confusing. We wonder why the devil has picked on us. We attend church services but they seem flat and meaningless. We ask, “Why?” We wonder what we’ve done wrong?
Fortunately, the Bible does not leave us without answers for situations like this. Isaiah helps us understand. He doesn’t answer all our questions, but he does help us cope with what we’re going through.
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).
SOME PEOPLE WALK IN THE DARK
Isaiah talked about a person who walks in the dark. What does that mean? In the Bible, darkness can refer to several things.
Life of sin. Some people walk in darkness because of their lifestyle. Men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. (John 3:19).
Ignorance of truth. Some people are in the dark simply because they are unaware of the truth. We sometimes say, “He’s in the dark about what we’re discussing.” The Bible says, The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. (Matthew 4:16). Jesus came as the light of the world. The light of truth came on for the people who were unaware of the truth. They became knowledgeable of the truth.
However, the darkness Isaiah referred to is something else. It is true that people who are sinners and people who are ignorant of the truth walk in darkness. But notice how Isaiah describes these people who walk in the dark.
They fear the Lord. To fear the Lord doesn’t mean to be afraid, as you might be afraid of a snake; it means to have a deep sense of reverence and awe of God. Proverbs says, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. (Proverbs 9:10).
Isaiah talked about a person who fears God, a person who loves and worships God, yet who walks in the dark.
These people obey the word. This person not only fears the Lord, he does what the Lord wants him to do. This person lives as an obedient servant.
Clearly, the people Isaiah described are believers. They revere and worship God and they do what God wants them to do. But these people still walk in the dark.
It’s important to understand this because this is talking about people like us. There are Christians who fear God and obey him and yet at times, walk in the dark.
What does it mean for people like this to walk in the dark and what does this darkness refer to?
Darkness for these people is the feeling that God is absent. Darkness refers to a feeling that God has withdrawn his presence. It’s the sense that God isn’t there any more. It’s the idea that God has gone away and forgotten all about you. The Bible calls this sense of the withdrawn presence of God, “walking in the dark.”
This is a conundrum for many believers. They don’t understand how or why it would happen. They say, I’m doing everything right, yet I feel that God has forgotten me.” They ask, “Why does this happen to me and what have I done wrong?”
God does not withdraw his presence, but we live with the feeling he has. Emotionally, we feel God isn’t anywhere in sight. Most Christians go through times like this. It’s not a sign of unspirituality or an indicator saying you’ve done something wrong, but it’s real.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU WALK IN THE DARK?
i. It tests your courage.
I remember as a small boy, listening to a scary mystery program on the radio at night in the darkness in my room and being afraid. Sometimes I would hide under the covers and was afraid to reach out to touch the floor for fear it wouldn’t be there!
Some Christians have big mouths until they walk in the dark. They say, “Oh, I can do that,” but then they walk in the dark and their courage vanishes. Walking in the dark tests your courage.
ii. It tests your convictions.
After you’ve been a Christian for a while, you develop convictions. Mature Christians grow convictions; immature Christians can just become stubborn. We have convictions about our knowledge of God.
Here’s the problem. We think we know God at the level of our information but in reality, we know God at the level at which we have experienced God. We think we know a lot about God until the darkness comes. That’s when you really know what you believe about God. Darkness tests your convictions.
iii. It tests your consecration.
When you walk in the dark, you’re tempted to withdraw from Christian service.
Without the brightness of his presence, you don’t feel like serving or being involved in the life of the church. Darkness tests your consecration.
iv. It tests your conversion.
When you walk in the darkness, you may even question your relationship with God. You ask if there is such a thing as salvation and you may even question whether there is a God or if God ever existed.
This business of walking in the dark is serious and can traumatize a believer if he doesn’t understand what’s happening.
WHAT SHOULD WE DO WHEN WE WALK IN THE DARKNESS?
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).
Isaiah tells us to trust and rely on the name of the Lord.
Trust and rely.
To trust someone, is to place all your faith in that person. Some banks used to be called trust companies because you entrusted your money into their hands. They held your money in trust.
To rely on someone is to lean all your weight on that person, recognizing that without that person, you’d fall flat on your face.
The name of the Lord.
Who are we to trust? Too often we trust our common sense, ingenuity, education and past experiences.
The psalmist said, Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord. (Psalm 20:7). The name of the Lord stands for everything about God.
Fix that in your mind. You need that for the darkness you may be going through now and for the darkness you may go through tomorrow. The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. (Proverbs 18:10). The name of the Lord is a place of safety and security where the enemy can’t touch you.
When you are in the dark, there is safety in the name of the Lord. His promises will not change in the darkness. What he’s done for you in the past, he will do for you again. Trust in him for the present and rely on him for the future.
In the dark, you may not be able to see God, but God can see you. God’s eyes can see through your darkness.
THERE ARE BENEFITS TO WALKING IN THE DARKNESS
i. You grow spiritually during times of darkness.
I now live in the desert in California. There is a saying, “Nothing but sunshine produces a desert.” Biologists say that darkness is just as important to the growth of plants as light.
Darkness helps us grow spiritually. Trust in the name of the Lord in the darkness and you will be stronger.
Walking in the darkness reveals whether you love God for the happy feelings of being a Christian or whether you really love God for who he is! In the dark, you learn to shift your emphasis from personal happiness to pleasing God. Too many Christians have bought into the secular culture that has made the pursuit of happiness the goal of life. Darkness puts things in perspective.
Personal happiness is not as important as knowing and pleasing God. Happiness is a byproduct of doing the will of God. Darkness has a way of putting these things into perspective.
ii. You learn how to handle life’s trials.
Trials are common. They were common in Bible times and they are common today. James and Peter tell us they are to be expected.
Walking in the dark equips us for the trials and testings we are going to go through tomorrow!
iii. You become more humble after walking in the darkness.
Some Christians think they have all the answers to life. When someone else has a problem, they are very quick to dispense simplistic answers. Then when the darkness comes to them, they suddenly don’t have all the answers.
It’s humbling when you realize you don’t have all the answers. Walking in the dark brings humility. There’s less pride and cockiness. And there’s more sympathy and empathy for those in need.
iv. You will see a brighter light at the end of the tunnel.
Have you ever gone into a dark tunnel? What happens? Before you go into the tunnel, the pupils of your eyes are closed and small. Then in the darkness of the tunnel, your pupils dilate and open wide to absorb any possible light and let you see what you can in the darkness.
Then you come out of the tunnel and what happens? Suddenly the light outside the tunnel is blinding and extremely bright. Yet the light at the end of the tunnel is the same light that was there before you went into the tunnel! You didn’t see the brightness before you went into the tunnel because your eyes had adjusted to the light and taken it for granted. But that same light, after the darkness of the tunnel, seemed brilliant and almost blinding.
That’s the way it is after we’ve walked in the darkness. When you come out of the dark, the brightness of God’s glory is dazzling. Job said, Life will be brighter than noonday and darkness will become like morning. (Job 11:17). Isaiah wrote, Your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. (Isaiah 58:10). You will appreciate the light of his presence more than ever.
I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year
Give me alight that I might walk safely into the unknown.
And he said, “Go out into the darkness
And put your hand into the hand of God
And he shall be to you brighter than the light
And safer than a known way.”
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