HH, Sir Godfrey Gregg D.Div
“And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?” (Isaiah 50:10).
What shall the believer do in times of darkness–the darkness of perplexity and confusion, not of the heart but of mind? Times of darkness come to the faithful and believing disciple who is walking obediently in the will of God; seasons when he does not know what to do, nor which way to turn. The sky is overcast with clouds. The clear light of Heaven does not shine upon his pathway. One feels as if he were groping his way in darkness.
Beloved, is this you? What shall the believer do in times of darkness? Listen! “Let him trust in the Name of the Lord, and rely upon his God.” Just think for a moment and see where the path will take you if it is dark. The hymn writer said, “The night is dark and I am far from home.” but he continues, “Lead Thou me on…” Even in your darkest moment, there is still someone you can rely on to hold your hand and Jim Reeves sang “Hold my hand, precious Lord, lead me on let me stand.” Hear this man sing these words, “I am tired, I am weak, I am worn. Through the night and through the storm, take my hand precious Lord and lead me home.
The first thing is to do nothing. This is hard for poor human nature to do. In the West, there is a saying that runs thus, “When you’re rattled, don’t rush”; in other words, “When you don’t know what to do, don’t do it.” In the Caribbean, it is said to, “wait and think, if you rush you will get paint”.
When you run into a spiritual fog bank, don’t tear ahead; slow down the machinery of your life. If necessary, anchor your bark or let it swing at its moorings. We are to simply trust God. While we trust, God can work. Worry prevents Him from doing anything for us. If our minds are distracted and our hearts distressed; if the darkness that overshadows us strikes terror to us; if we run hither and yon in a vain effort to find some way of escape out of a dark place of trial, where Divine Providence has put us, the Lord can do nothing for us. Just wait it out.
The peace of God must quiet our minds and rest our hearts. We must put our hand in the hand of God like a little child, and let Him lead us out into the bright sunshine of His love.
He knows the way out of the woods. Let us climb up into His arms, and trust Him to take us out by the shortest and surest road.
Remember we are never without a pilot when we know not how to steer. So this morning I am asking you to join me and ask that Jesus Saviour the pilot to take charge and take us out the situation that we are in and lead us on to the Rock that is higher than us. Out of the darkness in His marvellous light.
