How To Deal With Dark Times
Darkness does strange things to us.
When was the last time you woke up from sleep thinking about some problem? It’s amazing how big and threatening our problems become in the darkness of the night. The coming of morning light shrinks our concerns. It brings them back to proper perspective.
We all experience dark times in life.
Dark times do not always mean bad times. It can simply be dark — a time when the lights seem out in a certain area of our lives. It may be with a problem we are trying to solve, and we have no insight about how to solve it. It might be in a direction we need to take or a decision we need to make, but cannot yet see clearly enough to make a wise, prudent decision.
There are times in life when things seem dark. In dark times:
We cannot see what’s ahead.
We cannot see what is around us.
We cannot figure out what to do.
We have a hard time making decisions.
We feel afraid.
We feel confused.
We feel lost.
Everybody experiences dark seasons. David wrote about them:
“Even when I walk through the dark valley … ” – Psalm 23:4
Notice that David said “when,” not “if.” These times are inevitable — they are common!
How do we deal with dark times?
Look at what God says about this:
” … If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the Lord and rely on your God.” – Isaiah 50:10
The Hebrew word for “trust” used here means “to be bold, careless, confident and secure” in God. To “rely” means “to lean or support oneself on.”
In dark times we are told to trust God. We are told to rely on Him.
When your life is dark, trust and lean on God. He is able to see you and navigate you through the darkest periods of life to the right destination. Wait on Him, and He will bring you the light you need!
Dale O'Shields
For more information, visit the Church of the Redeemer's website.
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