When Darkness Reveals the Light of God’s Promises
Are you afraid of the dark? Me too…sometimes. Despite having baggage around dark seasons of my life, God is inviting me to view darkness through a new perspective. While darkness holds a certain fear of the unknown, it also showcases even small amounts of light in a spectacular way. When we relax our negative view, we find darkness reveals the light of God’s promises with a clarity unseen in the distraction of daylight.
Though we often believe clarity comes with the light of day, at times only in the night seasons do we perceive the clear truth of God’s promises for our future.
When God chose to reveal the fullness of His plan for Abraham, He brought him out into the desert at night. Beneath a canopy of stars as far as Abraham could see, God’s future promises became crystal clear.
“After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” And he brought him outside and said, “Look towards heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.”
The darkness reveals the light of God’s promises to Abraham through a starry night object lesson but also allows Abraham to see with greater clarity distanced from the distractions of his days and doubts.
Gazing into a cloudless cerulean sky we imagine our sight penetrates through countless miles upward and beyond. Yet apart from observing the sun, we see no further than the Kármán Line, where the earth’s atmosphere ends and space begins, which is a mere 62 miles away.
By contrast, at night scientists believe that the farthest observable object is Andromeda, a collection of one trillion stars lying 2.5 million light years away. We require the cover of darkness to reveal the true clarity of the sky.
As with Abraham, at times God brings us into the night seasons so that we may perceive more clearly what He promised us in brighter times. Despite a more radiant light during the daytime seasons, we become focused on doubts and what is before us, and our sight becomes myopic.
In the daylight seasons, we often find preoccupation with the urgent or more desirous of tasks or outcomes. While the night seasons obscure the lesser distractions, challenging us to look farther.
God referenced blessing Abraham’s descendants more than thirty times in the Book of Genesis. The first mention came in chapter twelve (Genesis 12:7) and ten years passed before God speaks again in Genesis 15. Abraham was 75 years old at the time God again confirms Abraham will have an heir in Genesis 15. Yet it would be another 25 years before the promised heir, Issac is born.
Abraham waited 35 years until he was 100 years old before he received the fulfillment of God’s promise of an heir. That’s over 12,775 nights to look up and number the stars while holding fast God’s future promise.
Are you waiting for an answer to prayer? Or perhaps longing for the fulfillment of God’s promises?
Instead of feeling frustrated or fearful of the extended night seasons, God invited me into a view of the darkness that confirmed rather than cast doubt on His promised work in my life.
As with Abraham, God began a good work in my life several years ago, (Philippians 1:6) but its fulfillment remains yet future. While Abraham could look up and the multitude of stars encouraged him with God’s promise to multiply his descendants, he was also reminded by the vast distance, that God’s promise was yet far from fulfillment.
During the night seasons of my life, God spoke hope over me reminding me, darkness is not dark to God. God is Light and there is no darkness in Him, (1 John 1:5) and no darkness can overcome Him. (John 1:5) This truth holds firm in my darkest times because God is always with me.
“If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.”
When we pass through night seasons of waiting, God’s presence becomes the Light of His promises for us. The proof of His promises is in His presence. Though the fulfillment of His promises may yet remain future, the Light of his presence reveals its certainty ever clearer in our darkest places.
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