Have you ever been punished as a kid by being sent into your room without the light on? I have on occasion and it wasn’t a pleasant experience to say the least. They did, however, make an indelible impression on my mind of what happens in those minutes/hours. I found myself focusing on a few things like: where is this going to wind up when my dad gets home; why am I hear; what kind of defense can I dream up. And the longer I sat there the more fidgety I got, worrying about the eventual outcome.
Well, guess what! It still happens to me far too often today when God puts me into the darkness as part of His discipline. It seems that at times it’s the only way He can get my attention and force me to focus on what He wants me to hear. And just like those times as a kid, I find myself doing all the talking and not listening. I have learned, however, that when God puts me into the darkness it’s best to keep my mouth shut and wait to hear what He has to say. If I don’t, just like complaining to my mother, the wait just gets longer.
Are you in the dark about the circumstances you find yourself in or in your relationship with the Lord? I can tell you that the best advice (having learned it too many times) is to keep your mouth shut and remain quiet. Did you ever notice that songbirds don’t sing at night? Maybe they know something we don’t. The problem is not speaking, it’s that we will be voicing our self in the wrong spirit, based on our circumstances or perception of the situation… that’s not a good idea.
When God puts us into the darkness, it’s time to listen. That means listening for that still small voice that usually comes from the Word, not the voice of someone in a self-help book or a well-meaning friend. If we spend our time with those resources we aren’t going to hear what the Lord has to say about why He has us there in the first place. It may just be that the lesson He is teaching us is also be put in our heart for someone else at another time when we are back in the light. There will come a time when God will need us to share our time in the “darkness” for His lessons are never for us alone. But we will never be able to share what we haven’t learned.
Matt 10:27 “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.
We never know how long God is going to keep us in the dark, but if we are quiet and patient He will ultimately reveal to us the lesson He is putting forth… when we are prepared to hear it. But the more we struggle in trying to find the answer, the longer it will take. I know, the more I kept quiet in my room the sooner my mother would come to check on me, make her point, and the sooner I would be “back in the light.”
Bottom line… light is better than darkness, so focus on staying there until He tells you it’s time to “sing” in the light!