when god seems far away
“Lord, why do you stand afar off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” – Psalm 10:1
One of the great mysteries of God is His ways. Some of his ways seem to lead us into almost the most difficult places, as if he is indifferent to our circumstances. It would seem that He is turning His back on our suffering. These events in our life have a special purpose for us. That purpose is to bring us to the end of ourselves so that we may discover the treasures of darkness. “Yet when I hoped for good, evil came; when I sought light, darkness came” (Job 30:26).
When we are transported through these dark times, we begin to see light we never knew existed. Our senses are heightened and our ability to see with spiritual eyes is illuminated. Unless we are led into this time, no depth of character develops in our soul. We do not get intelligence, only knowledge. Knowledge is gained through understanding; Knowledge is gained through the experience of darkness.
After going through these periods, we realize that in fact, God was with us the whole time. It doesn’t feel or appear like He is there when we are in the midst of dark times. However, He is there walking with us. He has told us countless times that He will never leave us. However, when we are in those dark times, it doesn’t feel like He is there because He doesn’t protect us from circumstances. He does this for our benefit so that we can become like Jesus. Jesus learned obedience from the things he endured (see Hebrews 5:8). What does this say about how you and I will learn obedience? Embrace the dark times and receive the knowledge that God wants for you through this time.
