Darkness
I was reading over some notes I had taken from a message that someone had spoken back in 2023. I wrote, “The greatest work of my life is done in the darkness.” Those words hit me again just as it did when the speaker was giving the message.
Darkness has purpose. Darkness protects, hides and covers what God does not want to be seen. The scripture says that, Our frame was not hidden from God, when we were being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. His eyes saw our unformed substance. Psalm 139. Many times when we are in the dark, we want to get to the light as soon as possible. We want to get out of the uncomfortable situation.
Jesus demonstrated how we are to handle the dark. When he was in the wilderness, he fasted, prayed and sought God. In the darkest of places the Holy Spirit is there with us. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Genesis 1:2 We are of the earth! Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. Genesis 2:7 The dark places in our lives have purpose for our growth, maturity, and to move us into a new level of faith and trust in God.
David had been anointed by the prophet to be king, but before he was crowned king, he was running from King Saul who was desiring to kill him. David was being trained to rule the kingdom and training came in the dark. Queen Esther was hidden in the king’s chambers for a whole year before she was selected to be queen. Joseph was sold as a slave and put in prison before he became second in command of Egypt to Pharaoh.
Darkness is the place where God trains, disciplines and prepares us for what will be revealed later. I remember when our children were toddlers, we would train them to use proper table manners at home. We knew that they would not always be at home eating so we prepared them for when we took them out. About once a month on Sundays after church we would take them to a fine dining restaurant to have them practice what they had been taught. Our children would see other children throwing food on the floor, yelling, and jumping on the seats, but they would sit quietly and color and have conservation with their family. They had been prepared in the dark so that they would know how to behave in the light.
God does the same with us. He puts us behind closed doors in the dark, the wilderness where we cannot be seen, until we are ready to be presented to the world. The darkness teaches us how to hear God and allows all of our mistakes to be hidden. It prepares us for all that will be ahead of us. It does not matter how frustrated we get, God will not release us until we are ready.
I have several social media accounts and God has directed me to post daily messages. Many times when I go back and review the posts, I would find there had been only one person that viewed the post. In the beginning I was frustrated and I would get discouraged, but God said to me, “I am keeping you in the dark. This is training, it will not always be this way.” One of the Minsters at our church said, “Comparison is a thief of joy,” and I would add to that, “It is also a trick of the enemy.” I want to encourage you to rest in the arms of Jesus while he has you in a dark place and journal your experience. You will be surprised when you look back and see the blessings of the dark.
Key points:
When darkness comes in your life, prepare to grow.
Anyone walking in the manifestation of their anointing has spent time in the darkness.
Don’t fight the darkness, but meditate and seek to hear what the Holy Spirit is speaking.
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
You can also follow me at JCCMinistriestv:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMoEcr3koSqRbqVma5EGWgA/videos
My published books are now available at:https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Life%27s+Journey+volume+2+Jacqueline+Crooks&language=en_US&ref=nb_sb_noss