In the Light, in the Dark, Remember

Don’t forget in the darkness what you have learned in the light.

In Where Is God when It Hurts? Philip Yancey quotes these words of Joseph Bayly, former director of InterVarsity press and former president of David C. Cook Publishing. Then Yancey adds, “Yet sometimes the darkness descends so thickly that we can barely remember the light.”

[For more on the origin of the quotation above, see “He Said, She Said: Believe in the Darkness What You Have Seen in the Light.]

Missionary and author Elisabeth Elliot has this to say about God’s truths in the dark times:

Take the word of the Lord in your darkness. If He died to let us live in His company, is he likely to abandon us just because things look dark?

Missionaries are known for shining light in dark places, but that doesn’t mean that they never experience the pain and confusion of personal darkness themselves.

What about you? Did you wake up this morning to bright sunshine . . . or do you find yourself in a dark night of the soul?

Following are some promises of Jesus that we will all do well to recall, regardless of current circumstances. If you’re living in brightness, may these add to your joy and confirm your resolve. If you feel enveloped by darkness, may even one or two push against the shadows and take root in a corner of your heart.

As you read the promises below, I hope you’ll be able to hold tightly to each one. But if you find it hard to hold on to them, know that the one who said them is holding on to you.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Read the whole post at A Life Oversees. . . .

(Philip Yancey, Where Is God when It Hurts, Zondervan, 1977; Elisabeth Elliot, A Lamp for My Feet: The Bible’s Light for Daily Living, Servant, 1985; All scripture quotations are from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://bible.org. Used with permission. All rights reserved.)

[photo: “Exodus 3:2 – the Burning Bush, B&W,” by zeevveez, used under a Creative Commons license]