I do not know about you but one of the toughest things for me to handle is when God changes direction for our family and Beholding His Glory. I planned to write some thoughts in the “Dear Friends” section of our newsletter, but God has given me more to say about this so an article is more in keeping with what I feel God is looking for. We seem to understand so many things in retrospect. Revelation is best understood after the facts are discovered, but while the change is being perfected in our lives we are groping for answers while we look deeply into a dark glass. Paul knew this darkness all to well. “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12) My friend if we desire to walk with the Lord as Paul did we too will know the darkness of the Lord. Now there are two types of darkness: The first darkness is that which arises from sin. It is a darkness that is filled with unhappiness and leads the Christian to eternal death. The second type of darkness is darkness which the Lord allows within our inward part in order to establish and settle virtue. This is a happy darkness because it illuminates (revelation) our inward spirit, strengthens it and gives it greater light. We must never rush out into the spiritual darkness in which we can suddenly find our self in. It would be well for us to stop all of our frantic running, struggling, and searching and just wait before the Lord. Job wrote, “By His light, I walked through darkness” (Job 29:3) God gives us a light. We must see these times of darkness as a time we persevere in our inward pursuit. It is a manifest sign that God, in His infinite mercy, is seeking to bring us into the inward path. How good will be the results if we embrace these times with peace and with resignation. Such times are for our spiritual growth and development. As we persevere, God will give us a light which grows and increases in the midst of darkness. Often it is in times of darkness wisdom and strong love is begotten in us. It is in times of darkness not in times of great outward spiritual joy that our self-nature and self-seeking is dealt a mortal blow. Images, ideas, wanderings, and other hindrances which give us a distorted view of God and His ways are consumed.
The greater the service to God the greater the darkness we will experience of God. Isaiah who had the revelation of God as compared to His life writes of this wonderful darkness. “And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.” (Isaiah 45:2-3) Who would have thought God would hide treasures and riches in His darkness? Only His children who would venture out into the darkness of the Lord. This place of darkness is the place of knowing and receiving. God told Isaiah, “that thou mayest know that I, the LORD.” Many Christians stumble and fall out of the way because they do not know the Lord. Oh they may know the Bible and their church doctrine, but they know nothing of God and His ways. Now please understand I do not know everything, but I know enough when God takes me into His unknown He is working in me, checking me out, even approving me for something ahead. I discovered this truth the first time I went to Bulgaria. Pastor Yanko (who does not speak much English) heard me say, when I come to your church I work for God and you so he decided to check me out. He took me up to a very old Turkish fort that had very narrow passage ways behind the walls. He disappeared into the darkness and encouraged me to follow by saying, “come on let’s go.” I stepped into the darkness that caused me to conform to the very narrow passage way. The darkness of the Lord will conform us to what God desires for our lives. The passage way was designed for a much smaller person so my way was very hard and painful. So too is our walk with the Lord in His darkness. After much struggle I got into a rhythm of sliding my feet as I tilted my head back scrubbing my forehead on the ceiling. In the distant darkness I could hear Pastor Yanko say, “come on let’s go.” But as my eyes adjusted to the darkness my way became a little brighter. As we adjust to God in these times of darkness our revelation vision will be enlightened and we will begin to see what God is doing. After time I made the four turns needed to successfully navigate the room behind the walls. If we walk correctly with God He will bring us out into the glorious light of understanding. As I immerged, Pastor Yanko, like God, was waiting for me. I was beaten up, my head was bleeding, and I was extremely tired. But I had passed the test my words were true to Pastor Yanko he, like God, could now trust me. I looked at him and said, “come on let’s go.” This too is what God says when we come out into the light. After we have qualified finding the hidden riches and treasures God has buried in life for us He can and will now say, “come on let’s go.”
My friend, most if not all of our Christian walk is in the darkness of the unknown. I find it odd Jesus often talked (John 11:9, 10, and 12:35) with the disciples about the critical need of walking in the light, like us, while walking in darkness. God’s intention for us is to walk in the light, He knows man cannot handle His darkness for too long. In the Book of Genesis before God made man He had to make light for man. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.” (Genesis 1:1-4) Before God made light He made the heaven and the earth and before that only God existed in the darkness. Darkness was first and then God created light then “divided the light from the darkness.” If you really want to do a great word study to learn more about God do a word study on darkness or the night time. In John, “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness (first type of darkness), but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12) Jesus’ heart here in this verse is for us to come into “the light of life” which often times come by way of the second type of darkness. If you walk with Lord long enough you will see this truth play out time and time again.
The greater the service to God the greater the darkness we will experience of God. Isaiah who had the revelation of God as compared to His life writes of this wonderful darkness. “And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.” (Isaiah 45:2-3) Who would have thought God would hide treasures and riches in His darkness? Only His children who would venture out into the darkness of the Lord. This place of darkness is the place of knowing and receiving. God told Isaiah, “that thou mayest know that I, the LORD.” Many Christians stumble and fall out of the way because they do not know the Lord. Oh they may know the Bible and their church doctrine, but they know nothing of God and His ways. Now please understand I do not know everything, but I know enough when God takes me into His unknown He is working in me, checking me out, even approving me for something ahead. I discovered this truth the first time I went to Bulgaria. Pastor Yanko (who does not speak much English) heard me say, when I come to your church I work for God and you so he decided to check me out. He took me up to a very old Turkish fort that had very narrow passage ways behind the walls. He disappeared into the darkness and encouraged me to follow by saying, “come on let’s go.” I stepped into the darkness that caused me to conform to the very narrow passage way. The darkness of the Lord will conform us to what God desires for our lives. The passage way was designed for a much smaller person so my way was very hard and painful. So too is our walk with the Lord in His darkness. After much struggle I got into a rhythm of sliding my feet as I tilted my head back scrubbing my forehead on the ceiling. In the distant darkness I could hear Pastor Yanko say, “come on let’s go.” But as my eyes adjusted to the darkness my way became a little brighter. As we adjust to God in these times of darkness our revelation vision will be enlightened and we will begin to see what God is doing. After time I made the four turns needed to successfully navigate the room behind the walls. If we walk correctly with God He will bring us out into the glorious light of understanding. As I immerged, Pastor Yanko, like God, was waiting for me. I was beaten up, my head was bleeding, and I was extremely tired. But I had passed the test my words were true to Pastor Yanko he, like God, could now trust me. I looked at him and said, “come on let’s go.” This too is what God says when we come out into the light. After we have qualified finding the hidden riches and treasures God has buried in life for us He can and will now say, “come on let’s go.”
My friend, most if not all of our Christian walk is in the darkness of the unknown. I find it odd Jesus often talked (John 11:9, 10, and 12:35) with the disciples about the critical need of walking in the light, like us, while walking in darkness. God’s intention for us is to walk in the light, He knows man cannot handle His darkness for too long. In the Book of Genesis before God made man He had to make light for man. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.” (Genesis 1:1-4) Before God made light He made the heaven and the earth and before that only God existed in the darkness. Darkness was first and then God created light then “divided the light from the darkness.” If you really want to do a great word study to learn more about God do a word study on darkness or the night time. In John, “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness (first type of darkness), but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12) Jesus’ heart here in this verse is for us to come into “the light of life” which often times come by way of the second type of darkness. If you walk with Lord long enough you will see this truth play out time and time again.
The last two weeks of every year I try hard to put all of the year’s works both what we call the good and what we call the bad behind us and wait before the Lord to hear (understand) what He would have for our family and Beholding His Glory in the forth coming year. Things like our travel schedule for the year is laid in our spirit, some details and plans are begun for up coming trips in February (January is almost always a down month), and most important the message for the year I am to share is spread out in my heart. Well 2007 was no different. The first week I waited and waited before God, but got nothing. So I waited and waited some more and still got nothing until finally the Lord spoke and said, “2008 will be a year of prayer.” So I took this to mean I will be speaking on prayer for 2008. The second week I put together an extensive teaching on prayer. It was amazing everything just fell into place. Verse after verse came to me and the thoughts and words I received from the Lord just went together (as a foot goes into a well worn shoe) and waited for the schedule of countries. I get 100s of invitation each year, but do not act on them unless I feel the leading of the Lord to venture out (without making a commitment) to test the waters. After all we are international Bible teachers and writers traveling and sharing the Gospel message. But, every time we would begin to make some long term plans to travel something would come up like caring for my father for three months or someone would come by to do something that God has arranged like; Pastor Tek and Jit Maya coming and their migration from a radio station to a short wave station that will reach over ½ of the world’s population in the heart of the 10/40 window where 90% of the people in the world have never heard the glorious Gospel message. Most major denominations have avoided these countries (like the plague) in the 10/40 window; too hard, too dangerous, and no return on their investment. (Lord help us) Anyhow, Karen and I find ourselves again making plans for the end of July early August to travel with two maybe three trips before the end of the year. Now here is my point in all of this, during 2008 while we should have been traveling (in our thinking) we have been waiting. Waiting in the darkness of God’s unknown for our lives is probably one of the toughest things we will ever do. When God changes our direction of walking in the light of knowing and turns us into His darkness of not knowing we often can get bewildered, disheartened, and even experience what many call a faith (believe) crisis. Mother Theresa wrote in her diary the last few years of her life she went through a crisis of her faith. Well I am not sure if her belief in God was shaken. I would think mine might be if I had to serve the untouchables and dregs in India as she did, but I would say God did take her into His darkness changing her direction so that He could lead her into the next thing God had for her. God will lead us into His darkness too as He changes our direction it may not be like Mother Theresa, but it will be so that we will be approved and can qualify for the next thing God has for us. This is God’s intention for us; to teach us, for us to be approved, and to be strengthened in the inward parts so that we can grow spiritually in knowing Him while we walk in through His darkness. Guess what the hidden riches and treasures are? That is right, God’s lessons, dealings and judgments in our lives in the “secret places” of our thoughts and heart. Guess who is waiting for us in the darkness? That’s right God. Yet it seems all of this does not change our frustration and the anguish we feel when we are not doing what we think we should be doing. The only way out is through the darkness. We must embrace it with all of our might and heart doing those things we can do. While in God’s holding pattern we started a monthly home group meeting for Jake Luffy to come and speak and doubled up our efforts with our maternity clinic in Nigeria, the short wave station in Nepal, writings our newsletter, articles for our blog, and continued work of three books, and other initiatives the Lord has us involved with around the world. The way out is through the darkness. The way out is in. During this time of God’s dealings and judgments in our lives the closer we get into His heart the sooner we will get out of His darkness of not knowing. God told Moses, “Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: 22And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:” (Exodus 33:21-22) Only near God is His glory. It is not wise to do a lot of running around in darkness. Standing still near Him is the place of safety and of knowing the direction you must go when God changes your direction. Written by David Stahl
No comments:
Post a Comment