Treasures of Darkness

“I will go before you and make the rough places smooth;

I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars.

“I will give you the treasures of darkness

And hidden wealth of secret places,

So that you may know that it is I,

The Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.”

Isaiah 45:2,3

As I read this message the tears ran down my face. A loved one was having a rough day and I so badly wanted to fix it. After all, by nature I am a fixer! Can you identify?

I can easily rattle off the attributes of God…He is love, He is omniscient, He is all-powerful, He is wise…but when someone close to me is struggling, I have difficulty understanding how those truths become reality. Instead of believing this verse, that God in His wisdom will indeed make the rough places smooth and give treasures even in dark times, I want the rough places to disappear, only good things to happen, to have things clear as day. After all, who wants to find treasures in the darkness anyway? It’s way easier in the light, isn’t it?

Especially when it concerns my family, applying the truth of God’s wisdom is often a challenge for me. I want to protect them from the difficulties they face instead of realizing that it is exactly in those times that the reality of who God is impacts their lives.

After a night of anguished prayer, I was reminded of that again this morning as I read what A.W. Tozer said in his book. The Knowledge of the Holy: “With the goodness of God to desire our highest welfare, the wisdom of God to plant it, and the power of God to achieve it, what do we lack? Surely we are the most favored of all creatures.”

Heavenly Father, thank You that You indeed are the only wise God and I can trust You. I choose today to believe that in Your wisdom You are at work making the rough places smooth and revealing treasures in the darkness. Remind me of that truth when I am struggling. Amen.

Take Action

Are you struggling with believing that God truly is wise today as you or your loved ones face a trial? Take a few minutes to recount and thank God for some ways He showed you His faithfulness during difficult times in the past. Then declare your trust in Him to deal with the rough paths of today.

**This devotional was published at http://thelife.com/dailydevotions/treasures-of-darkness but in light of my October theme of being thankful I wanted to say that I am thankful for the darkness because God promises us treasures even then!