When Darkness Comes
The year 2020 brought a world of chaos, sadness, and loneliness. COVID ravaged our world, on a mission for destruction. No one has been left unharmed, whether personally or by someone close to them. This pandemic and the years since have been filled with violence throughout societies, poverty, hunger, fear and so much more. It’s hard to admit to it, but this unexpected trauma took away the world we all once knew. The way of life we knew cannot return. While it’s easy to feel despair and never-ending hope, the world has also produced something unexpected; servants of God who are passionate about reaching people, who are dealing with these scenarios and bringing them to God.
Though we all still think and talk about this time in our lives, I never really put all the pieces together until I reread the story of Job. A Story I believe we can all learn from, Job was a faithful servant of God who lived a life most would dream of. He was happily married, had children, land, and livestock, and by all accounts was pretty well off. Above all else, God noticed him as special, stating
“There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” (Job 1:8).
Satan speaks with the Lord about how Job is only following Him because of how great his life is. God ALLOWS Satan to test Job multiple times. Job loses everything he owns, crops and livestock are destroyed in a fire, and his children die in a storm. After Job had suffered tremendous loss, Satan began on his health.
Job 2:7, “So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.”
While all this is going on his friends, his wife, and his support system, those that are supposed to help him make the right decisions are telling him he needs to not complain, deal with his sins, he needs to curse God. He was alone in his faith, but never wavering from God. While he faced the emotions of the dire circumstances that faced him, he led with his heart on God, not on his situations.
Job 16:16-17, “My face is red with weeping, deep shadows ring my eyes; yet my hands have been free of violence and my prayer is pure.”
At the end of the story Job’s life is restored, his new reality after bearing his cross. Just as Job must face a new reality, we often feel we’re facing trials and difficult situations one after the other with no end in sight. Some of us have lost everything like this suffering servant. Reading through Job’s trials the same outcome will be consistently seen, he doesn’t lose his faith or love for God. When going through a heavy storm, a state so despairingly heartbreaking and there seems to be deep darkness closing in and the light dimming, God is right next to you feeling those emotions and keeping His hand close. While reading this story I went through stages of anger, heartache, love, and acceptance. As a suffering servant, I have scenarios in my own life that relate to where I was able to see in the end that I held onto the promise that God has me. I’ve felt the loss of multiple miscarriages, deep debilitating depression, skin ailments, and alopecia, being completely alone, an issue where I lost so much weight I scared myself. While all this is extremely hard to admit (especially in such an open forum) I believe God ALLOWED me to go through so much loss to show just how much faith and love I truly possess because of the love He has shown me. Going through all these different situations has put me in a pit of despair asking God through my hurt, what did I do? Why don’t you love me anymore? Why have you forsaken me? The reality is my mustard seed faith through all this allowed me to see the other side of the problems, the big picture of God. None of those thoughts were true before and Jesus was keeping me safe.
Luke 12: 7, “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
God loves us so much that He would never halt our growth or stop us from reaching our full potential in life and in Him. He’ll ALLOW us to go through struggles to push past the point of resistance and blossom into a beautiful masterpiece with a strong foundation. God wants us ALL to see we are far more capable than we realize when we lean on Him and the Spirit. He is encouraging you along your path to see WITH HIM you are more than the Goliath you are facing.
God has shown us through our suffering seasons that we are worth fighting for because are creations of God. Keep choosing what you know how to do (one step at a time) to pick yourself up with God’s Hands aiding. You do not need to prove your worth to God, he already chose you first. Prove to YOURSELF that you can lean on the Spirit and see what God sees in you;
Something put together with different pieces, crafted as a masterpiece in God’s artwork. We are God’s artwork come to life.
So, show the world the beauty of God through you, a suffering season, because the world needs to see how to pick itself up again.
Until Next time
Kristen
