Blessings of Darkness

Wednesday at L.A. airport waiting for my flight home

Special Reading (not in the Bible reading sequence): Isaiah 45:1-8;

Title: BLESSINGS OF DARKNESS !! by Pastor Mark Olson

SCRIPTURE

Isaiah 45:3 (NLT) - And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness – secret riches. I will do this so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.

OBSERVATION

Isaiah gives Cyrus a word from the Lord for his anointed ones. We are also His anointed.

APPLICATION

God has treasures upon treasures for his children ! They may not be gold or silver, but they are treasures from Him, nonetheless. These treasures are sometimes hidden in darkness – in secret where they are not easily seen. And sometimes, for God to reveal those treasures, we have to go into the darkness. As we attempt to follow God closely, we will encounter “darkness” in our lives – stresses, difficulties, disappointments, challenges, obstacles, doubt, and many other things that try to push us off God’s perfect plan for us. We want to live in the light, but sometimes, God allows the darkness to come so we can test His light. You can only tell if a flashlight works well, but testing it in the dark. We can only know God’s light in our lives deeply after it has been tested in the darkness.

We have all taken a step of faith to go to Haiti and be available for God to use us and work in our hearts. Everyone was touched beyond measure. We encountered darkness, God tested us in that darkness and showered us with blessings as we went to the cross for strength in that darkness. It was uncomfortable in the dark. We were out of our comfort zone. But in that darkness, we all turned to the “light” of God’s love, blessing and power to bring us through. I never felt closer to God and more in his blessing and anointing as I did in Haiti. There was something about it there that I know you can understand, but many others won’t be able to. We all felt close to Him because we were living in the darkness of Haiti – spiritual attacks, uncomfortable surroundings, etc. - and we drew close to Him for strength and comfort. And what a blessing it was to feel that closeness !!

Now we are back in our comfort zone – familiar surroundings, friends, A/C, hot showers, the comfort of our home church, etc. Do you still feel that same closeness to God you felt in Haiti ? Do you still feel the power of God’s Holy Spirit as strongly as we all did when we were praying at the orphanage against the evil spirits in that valley? Maybe, but most likely not.

It’s amazing to me that when I am comfortable, I don’t feel as close to God ! My comfort can make me lazy and keep me from having to draw near to God for His comfort. But when I am in the darkness, I press for God ! I do everything I can to lean on Him, because I don’t have the other things that so easily distract me. The darkness is where the real treasures are ! Secret riches from God are found in the darkness, in the difficulties, in the stresses, in the “uncomfortable zones”.

Don’t allow being back in our comfort zone to suck us into complacent lives. Stay “uncomfortable”. Ask God for “discomfort” - darkness if you will - to press us into Him and to find the real treasures of God found only in the darkness. Allow God to test us in the darkness so we will turn to His light and learn how to use his Holy Spirit power to overcome the darkness - and then to find those treasures found no where else ! Thank God for the blessings of the darkness !!

PRAYER

Lord, help me to press into your treasures. I understand that may require doing radical things, making radical changes, and maybe experiencing discomfort and even darkness. But then show me those treasures found only in the dark – the secret treasures of your kingdom found only in the dark. I want to press deeper !! In Jesus name, Amen