I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the Lord, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel. (Isaiah 45:3, NKJV)
Have you ever felt like a lone sheep? As if wolves in the distance were waiting to devour you? Especially in the dark of night. Isn't that when fear is greatest? During the night watch.
You're not alone---even though you might feel alone.
Pain is unavoidable in life. Yet, we try everything to keep it at bay. Pain avoidance is common in our culture. We run from it. Both ease and convenience are promoted. There's even a credit card that will "pay" for it. Difficul-TEA is a fact of life, regardless of what the ad-men say. Even money can't always "buy" your way out of it.
So what does one do with the unwanted, sometimes unwarranted, pain of struggle?
The Psalmist David tells us in Psalm 23, that our Shepherd is with us in the shadow of death. Not just death, but any dark ravine of pain through which life leads us. Those detours of darkness.
We need to seek the face of the One whose face gives light during those days---and nights. According to the words of Isaiah the prophet, God can use those dark times and actually give them to us as treasures. Life lessons of struggle learned with the One who calls us by our name---just like the psalmist's shepherd.
Some of life's best lessons are taught in the most difficult times.
A cuppa difficul-TEA might not be our choice....But God.....can use it for our good. Just knowing that, soothes my heart.
