![]() ![]() This seems to be a contradiction in the Word. And yet the Apostle Paul told us God has no relationship with darkness (2 Corinthians 6:14-17). We now see that God does dwell in the darkness. Just as Moses had to calm Israel at the base of Mount Sinai, Solomon had to calm the priests in the temple, explaining “The Lord said He would dwell in the thick darkness.” (1 Kings 8:12.) What about the priests that came out of the holy place? The priests couldn’t stand to minister because they couldn’t see through the thick darkness and they were afraid. Moses had to calm them by explaining, “Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.” (Exodus 20:20 KJV.) Is it possible that God can be in the darkness of our trials?Ĭlearly, Israel recognized God in the thundering, lightnings, and the mountain smoking. In both of these situations, God was in the darkness. And Moses approached God in the thick darkness (Exodus 20:18-21). The people saw the thundering, the lightnings, and the mountain smoking. How can that be? Light and darkness are not compatible.Īlso, when the people of Israel were gathered at the base of Mount Sinai, God spoke the Ten Commandments out of darkness. King Solomon explained that the Lord had said He would dwell in the thick darkness (1 Kings 8:12). The cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud (1 Kings 8:10). Can God possibly be there with us and can we be confident that He is?ĭark Times in the Old Testament – An Apparent Contradictionĭuring the dedication of Solomon’s temple, the priests came out of the holy place after placing the Ark of the Covenant there. So, if we are in dark trials of life, can God be there? We so often feel alone in the darkness of our trials. The light of God is not compatible with darkness. The Apostle Paul lists a number of things that are opposites and cannot be yoked or bound together, including light and darkness (2 Corinthians 6:14-17). God’s glory shines through His people in the darkness of the world. Isaiah describes the glory of the Lord in His people as light and the world as darkness (Isaiah 60:1-3). We will then discover a plan for determining if God is in the thick darkness. My question for you today is this: Does God dwell in the darkness and can we be confident He is there? We will determine how we can be confident God is in the darkness of our lives by considering the compatibility of darkness and light, examples of dark times in the Old Testament and an apparent contradiction with the New Testament, and a dark time in King David’s life. And we often wonder if God is in the darkness with us. We refer to the times of trials as dark times. It is often difficult to tell which is which. Many trials are unspeakable! Some are brought on by our own decisions or our humanity. We have all had many trials in our lives and watched others as they go through trials in their lives. Currently many people in the world are experiencing great darkness due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The darkness just kept getting thicker and thicker as we approached the date for me to quit my job and board a plane to Costa Rica the following day. God, where are you? What are you doing? What are we supposed to do? It got dark very fast. $10,000 just to repair a car and sell it! Even with the repairs the car would not have been worth $10,000. We were told that repairs on one of the cars would cost around $10,000. We needed to sell the cars before going to Costa Rica. Then the cars (yes, that is plural) broke down. Would our finances hold out if the house didn’t sell soon? Should I go ahead and quit my job as planned? Should we move to Costa Rica with the house on the market? God, are you telling us not to go? Have we missed something? The questions just continued getting more desperate as the house sat on the market. Our very bright and cheery time of anticipation and preparation turned into a very dark time. We had done everything our very qualified real estate agent had suggested, including painting the inside, replacing all of the appliances, taking down all of the hanging pictures and window treatments. In a real estate market when houses were selling before they even hit the MLS listings, we expected our house to sell quickly. As one example, our house did not sell as quickly as we expected. Then came the days of trials, many trials. We met and fell in love with the missionary family in Costa Rica. My husband’s employer fully supported a significant change that made the move possible. Our application for missions was approved promptly without question. When God began directing us to Costa Rica, we had many wonderful experiences that confirmed the calling. My husband and I are currently Associates in Missions in Costa Rica. How to Have Confidence in God During the Dark Times of Life ![]()
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