Standing in the Darkness, Waiting for the Light
The following is Oswald Chamber’s My Utmost for His Highest for February 14.
Sometimes God puts us through the experience and discipline of darkness to teach us to hear and obey Him.
Song birds are taught to sing in the dark, and God puts us into “the shadow of His hand” until we learn to hear Him (Isaiah 49:2 ). “Whatever I tell you in the dark. . .”— pay attention when God puts you into darkness, and keep your mouth closed while you are there. Are you in the dark right now in your circumstances, or in your life with God? If so, then remain quiet.
If you open your mouth in the dark, you will speak while in the wrong mood— darkness is the time to listen. Don’t talk to other people about it; don’t read books to find out the reason for the darkness; just listen and obey. If you talk to other people, you cannot hear what God is saying. When you are in the dark, listen, and God will give you a very precious message for someone else once you are back in the light.
After every time of darkness, we should experience a mixture of delight and humiliation. If there is only delight, I question whether we have really heard God at all. We should experience delight for having heard God speak, but mostly humiliation for having taken so long to hear Him! Then we will exclaim, “How slow I have been to listen and understand what God has been telling me!” And yet God has been saying it for days and even weeks. But once you hear Him, He gives you the gift of humiliation, which brings a softness of heart— a gift that will always cause you to listen to God now.
I’ve been reading C.S. Lewis’ Letters to an American Lady, quite interesting; meshes so well with your post here. Such a season to be talking about “darkness,” as, physically and emotionally in this late winter season I covet the light (especially sun shine) so much.
I read that a while back. Think I need to go read it again. (Every other year or so I go on a CS Lewis kick and reread much of his work.) We are in a dark season here and I am looking forward to what God brings out of it.
This was exactly what I needed to read today, Heather. Thanks so much for posting it. It soothes my heart.
I actually just found “Utmost for His Highest” at the secondhand store, along with some other more classic types. It was kind of sad; it looked like somebody had died and the kids had cleaned out the library in an indifferent sort of manner. I guess I could be an optimist and hope somebody ran out of shelf space and was forced to get rid of a few things. But these are sadly unread-looking. I shall have to love them in proper compensation. :~)
I posted it for myself, after finding it and reading it aloud to Shamus. It was soothing for both of us.
I always grab all the “someone’s kids obviously were cleaning out the book shelves” books. Especially fine classics like Oswald Chambers. His work has spoken to me more than any other, and I always come back to him — nearly as often as I come back to the Bible, and God always has something new for me there. If you haven’t read it, I heartily recommend reading his biography– an amazing man.
Beautiful post – such a good grasp of the lessons of pain and sorrow and heartache and pain.
This was so good for me to read today. Thank you. 🙂
Melissa~