God is the God of the Darkness

He made darkness His secret place; His canopy around Him was dark waters and thick clouds of the skies. From the brightness before Him, His thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire. — Psalm 18:11-12 NKJV

I’ve always been afraid of the dark. As a child and even into adulthood, the moment the light went out, darkness seemed to pervade my very soul. Evil that wasn’t present in the light seemed to lurk just beyond my reach in the darkness—I could feel it!

Trials and difficulties are sometimes like the darkness. When they come and we can’t see our way, there seems to be evil lurking all around us.

The presence of the tempter is real and frightening. We know we should combat the evil one as the Lord did by using the Word of God (Matthew 4:1-11).

But sometimes . . . sometimes, we are just too beaten by the pain of the moment, and it’s all we can do just to keep our head above water and function with some modicum of normalcy.
But God is the God of the darkness.

The Bible says, The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was. — Exodus 20:21

God is the God who dwells in the darkness!
The Hebrew word for darkness is araphel—and it means to drip; to drop. It means literally that the heavens are lowering or drooping—hence to drip or drop down.

How do we understand this? How does a God who lives in unapproachable light (I Timothy 6:16) also live in darkness? Could it mean that darkness is only dark to us, and there is really no such thing as darkness to God?

King David said, “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.” — Psalm 139:11-12

Is that why Jesus waited until the darkest hour of the night and then came walking on the water during the fourth watch (3:00-6:00 a.m.), while the storm and water were raging? Did He want to show Peter and the others that He was the God of the raging storm in the darkness? Peter was doing fine walking on the water—until he saw the wind (Matthew 14:30).

Perhaps that’s the lesson. To walk through our darkness, our raging storms, knowing that Jesus is already there, walking before us, protecting us from behind (Isaiah 52:12), and holding tightly to us with His Right Hand (Psalm 139:10).

The Right Hand of God is none other than Jesus Christ (Psalm 80:15). With this truth, we should not fear the darkness; Jesus is holding tightly to us. Our darkness may also be for others.

The LORD said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense (dark) cloud so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.”
— Exodus 19:9, emphasis mine

Since the literal definition of the word for darkness means to drip down heaven, God was saying, “I am going to drip down heaven to you so that the people see Me and know that I am with you, and they will trust you.”

There was thunder, lightening, and darkness on Mount Sinai when God called Moses to come up.

The LORD descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. — Exodus 19:20

The children of Israel were afraid of the thunder, lightening, and darkness. They did not want God to speak to them directly (Exodus 20:18-19), yet Moses braved the darkness to approach God. There on the mountain, in the darkness, Moses experienced fellowship and the blessing of God’s Presence. There God spoke to him face to face (Exodus 33:11).

Could the darkness that comes into our lives literally be God dripping heaven (Himself) down to us? Could the thunder, lightening, and darkness in our storms be God’s way of getting our attention, welcoming us to know Him more deeply? Perhaps even honoring us in the sight of others as He did Moses, Joshua, Joseph, David, Paul, and others?

If it is, He is waiting in the darkness, and He invites us to dwell with Him—in the darkness! Just as He was there to welcome Moses to the top of Mount Sinai and bid Peter to “Come” and walk to Him on the water, He sometimes bids us into the darkness to be with Him as well.

The darkness will never be too dark; the storm will never rage too severely. The Master mixes the cup of suffering (the darkness) specifically for us.

According to Philippians 1:29 God grants us the suffering (darkness) as a wonderful gift, wrapped especially for us. God considers suffering a very special and gratuitous gift (favor) to us.

But oftentimes, we shun the darkness and despise God’s gift of “favoring” a gift He gives to accomplish His perfect purpose in our lives.

Like Moses, Paul welcomed the darkness. He had learned the lesson well (Philippians 4:12), and he considered everything dung (rubbish) that in any way hindered him from knowing Christ more intimately (Philippians 3:1-14). He considered suffering the very thing that kept him close to Christ (II Corinthians 12:7-10; Philippians 3:10).

Which of us would not go if we received a personal invitation to meet with God at a specific place and time? If I received such an invitation, I would be giddy with anticipation. Being a normal female, my first thought would be, “what shall I wear?” Second, “what do I want to ask God?”

But in the process of preparing my heart to meet Jehovah El Roi, The God Who Sees (deep into my soul), what I wore or said would become inconsequential; I would want simply to bask in His Presence. Everything else would become trivial and unimportant. His Presence would be all that mattered. Yet when the invitation comes in the form of darkness, I must admit that my initial reaction is fear and dread.

It is easy to see God in what we consider to be good and wonderful things in life. Get a great job or promotion—praise God! The Lord blesses us with healing, a wonderful mate, a prime parking place, or some other wonderful gift—praise the Lord!

But darkness—a wonderful gift? Few of us welcome the darkness of pain by praising the Lord. But darkness is to be welcomed. Darkness is God’s invitation to come away with Him—just Him and me. No one else can dwell in my darkness or yours.

Friends and family can encourage us; they can listen; but they can’t experience our darkness. The cup of suffering is mixed for each of us individually, and God means it to be our alone time with Him—just the two of us enjoying intimate time together that excludes everyone else and everything else.

So, dear friend, are you so afraid of the darkness that you choose to live life less than abundantly? Are you satisfied with just enough of God to save you and give you all the good things of life, but not enough to throw off everything that hinders you from an incredible intimacy with the Lord?

If God gave you a choice, would you welcome the darkness where He is over the comfort of your own choices? That is the choice.

Remember—God is the God of the darkness!

The darkness is only dark on the outside. Within the darkness we discover, as Moses did, that God exists in a brightness that is only visible after we have entered His darkness (Psalm 104:2).
In His Presence we shed our fears, and delight in the awesome intimacy of dwelling with our Creator (Exodus 34:29-35).

“I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name. I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things.” — Isaiah 45:3, 7


Further Study
Psalm 74
Psalm 88
Psalm 89
Psalm 104

The Prisoner

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” (Ephesians 4:1)

The cell is small, cold and dark—barely wide enough to lie down—not high enough to stand up. The dampness penetrates the old man’s bones. He shivers, suffering greatly, deprived of even the barest necessities.

The food is almost inedible, gruel mostly. Moldy bread when he is lucky. Nothing to drink. No coat. No blanket. No pen or parchments. Deserted by friends and family, it is dangerous to be seen with him now. The dungeon at best—death sentence at worst.

Paul, the prisoner of Christ, is alone.

He is counting on Timothy, his son in the faith, to come for a visit. Timothy will bring his coat and his parchments, and John Mark. He can hardly wait to see them.

Paul is lonely. He has had only the Roman Elite Guard for company, to whom he is chained 24/7. There are the other prisoners, a few of whom are still violent, but many of whom are converted now. If you are fortunate enough to be in Paul’s company you will learn about his Lord—the gospel of Jesus Christ.

“Will Timothy and Mark make it before I go?” he ponders audibly, longing to see them one last time. The Lord has made it clear to Paul that he will soon make his final move—to heaven.

Ah, the blessedness of that thought. He’s been there—to the third heaven. Saw inexpressible things. Things that mortal man cannot utter (II Corinthians 12:1-10). Any day now he will go to be with the Lord, and-he-can-hardly-wait. To see the Lord Jesus and hear the angels sing again . . . ah, the rapture of it.

He shivers again from the cold and dampness.

He has nearly finished his race. He has written the letters the Lord Jesus instructed him to write. He has corrected doctrine, encouraged the brethren, and rebuked those who were leaving grace and returning to Law. He has reminded everyone to live a life worthy of the high calling of Christ Jesus.

Yeah, he has completed his course.

Life is behind him now. He will soon be poured out like a drink offering. The anticipation is welling up in his heart. Any day now, he-will-see-Jesus. He would not have to return to this old world again. This time, he will remain in the Presence of the Lord—forever.

He shivers again. This time it is not from the cold, but from the sheer glory of knowing that he will soon leave his old body behind and make his final move.

He begins to hum. Then he breaks out in a song. The other prisoners come to full consciousness. Even though Paul’s voice is old and raspy now, it sounds beautiful to them. They can hardly believe what they’re hearing. This old man is a Christian. All Christians have a death sentence on their head. . . .

Why on earth is he singing?

The guards and the prisoners try to join in. They are new to the Way, so they don’t know the words—but they try to hum along.

They can’t quite believe how joyful he is. But they know this old gentleman, and they have learned to love him and admire his amazing courage. They are now personally acquainted with Paul’s God.

The prisoner of Christ is ready to go home.

What about you, my friend—are you ready to go home? Have you lived a life worthy of the calling you have received? If today was your last day on earth, would you be able to meet the Lord Jesus with a clear conscience that you had completed all that He had given you to do?

Are you a prisoner of Christ—seeking His kingdom—first? We all belong to someone. Whose prisoner are you? Who pulls your chain? Someone has you shackled and firmly in their grip.

Is it Christ Jesus? Or is it the enemy?

You can tell who you’re serving by whom or what occupies the majority of your time and thought. You can tell by how much joy you have in your heart—or how much turmoil.

Are you in a spiritual prison? An emotional prison? Are you shackled by unforgiveness and bitterness? Maybe your prison is an abusive spouse who continually batters and bruises you, physically, emotionally, or both. Are you in the prison of financial difficulties? Is your prison a job you don’t like or a boss you can’t follow?

You may be in the prison of mediocrity. You know the one. You do your own thing and wonder why God isn’t blessing you. You don’t give appropriately. You don’t attend church regularly. You aren’t involved. You don’t work in your gifted area—you don’t even know what your spiritual gift is.

Ah, someone else will volunteer. . . .

Whatever your prison, God is able to give you a song. He doesn’t always deliver us out of our prisons. But He will always give us strength to overcome them. He will always give us a song in the night. And when you can’t find God, remember, He hasn’t moved. You will find Him when you seek Him with all of your heart (Jeremiah 29:11-13).

God doesn’t play second fiddle!

Paul never complained about the cold, the dampness, or the bad food. We gain insight into the conditions he suffered from historical writings.

While Paul was enduring the extremely severe conditions of a Roman prison, and shackled 24/7 to the Roman Elite Guards, he wrote several epistles, and shared the gospel with everyone within hearing, including those in Caesar’s household. And as a result all of them came to believe in the Jesus Paul knew.

What are you doing for the Lord in your prison?

Are you fulfilling your calling? Are you sharing Christ with those in your sphere of influence? Are you teaching? Helping with the children? Cleaning the church? Giving, perhaps to those who are less fortunate? Writing cards of encouragement to others who are hurting? Are you praying for the needs of others? Are you doing whatever you can. . . ?

I learned many years ago that encouraging others is wonderful therapy and an antidote for suffering. I was house bound for six years as caregiver for my mom, my husband, and then his mom.

There were days that I was so lonely for outside fellowship, but I couldn’t leave the house and my ailing charges. I learned to sit down at my desk, open my Bible to the Psalms, and write cards of encouragement to those I knew were struggling.

It is impossible to write cards of encouragement from the Word and remain in a prison of discouragement. When I had finished, my heart was singing and I was joyful in the Lord. My circumstances had not changed, but my shackles were loosed and my prison doors had flown open.

I was free—and soaring like an eagle!

And so, my friend, unlock those shackles that have you bound. You are a prisoner of the Lord Jesus Christ! That is a high and lofty calling that sets you free from the cares of this old world. Go ahead, pour your life into others—and give God praise for setting you free.

Praise the Name of the Lord. Praise Him for Who He is. Praise Him for His wonders. Praise Him for His plans for you—they are wonderful plans.

Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; Praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; Praise him for his surpassing greatness. Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, Praise him with the harp and lyre, Praise him with tambourine and dancing, Praise him with the strings and flute, Praise him with the clash of cymbals, Praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.
(Psalm 150)

Recommended Reading
Ephesians 1:1-11
Ephesians 2:1-10
Ephesians 3:1, 7, 14-21
Ephesians 4:1-6, 24-32

Copyright © 2009 by Peggy Britt. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission.