What if the very darkness you seek to escape was indeed Love Himself?

When you’ve given your whole heart, poured your soul out as a love offering and find yourself on your knees asking - Why God why?- perhaps your answer is nestled in the darkness waiting for you to shift your focus.

Many of us proclaim that we have given it all to God. We believe we are letting go and letting God, but are we really? We run from darkness and shout out our authority over it at the very same time we believe we are surrendering to God. The same God who created everything, including darkness. And seasons.

The very first line of the very first book of the Bible describes Gods creation of and presence in darkness. He created night and day.

Genesis 1: 1-5

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

“Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.” for guidance and revelation in Exodus 20:21

In 1 Kings 8:12: King Solomon declared, "The Lord said that He would dwell in the thick darkness".

Psalm 97:2 declares -Clouds and thick darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne".

Elijah was a prophet, a true man of God who called down fire from heaven and bore witness to the voice of God in miraculous, powerful and mighty ways. Even so, he found himself in a season of hiding in a cave, obscurity and soul wrenching fear. He must have felt forsaken in his sadness, wondering if God had forgotten him or maybe he just didn’t measure up.

God came to Elijah in a whispered voice in what Elijah must have felt was a tomb of darkness. God asked him … What are you doing here?

1 Kings 19:11-13

“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.

And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

There in the midst of isolation, fear and confusion was God. He didn’t shout His presence with thundering miracles. He didn’t cast out darkness. He was there, in it with Elijah whispering comfort that only God can provide.

Perhaps it’s time to stop striving. When you have done all you know to do, maybe it’s time to be still and know that He is God and that He cares about you and for you.

I believe I hear our Father saying; I’m here. I have never left you. I’m not surprised by any of your circumstances. I am with you. I am for you. I will see you through. I will never leave you.

Rest in the cocoon of our Everlasting Fathers arms and know that His plans for you are always good. They often times take twists and turns we never could predict or would have signed up for had we known. Equally, many times they carry some of life’s greatest blessings leaving us saying… Wow! If I had known!