Dark Times Help Us See God

We often pray for good things to happen in our lives. We pray for wealth, health and ease. Yet, these are often the things in life that lead us away from God. When we lack nothing materially, it is easy to forget how much we need Jesus. Therefore, it is quite common for the dark times in life to end up being the most spiritually rewarding. We see the greatness of God so much more clearly when He is the only thing that can deliver us from our circumstances.

Are we willing to deal with temporary darkness to see a great light?

 

King Uzziah’s Pride

King Uzziah was one of the good kings of Israel.  He came to power at a young age and for most of his approximately 52 years on the throne, he ruled Judah well.  Unfortunately, towards the end of his life, Uzziah became prideful.  He went into the Temple of God and made an offering.  This might not sound like a big deal until you realize that under God’s Law only priests were allowed to minister in the Temple.  Uzziah essentially was announcing to God and his kingdom that the rules did not apply to him.  He was king so he would do what he wanted.  Pride is a really ugly thing in people.

As a result of this rebellion, God struck Uzziah with leprosy which stayed with him until he died.  God made Uzziah’s appearance match the sickly condition of his heart.  Since Uzziah was leprous and had to be kept away from people, his sin and punishment were openly known.  They just could not hide that the head of their nation defied God and died in his sin and shame.  The King departed from God, flouted God’s Law and suffered and died under punishment from God…and everyone knew it.

It must have been a terrible time to be a righteous Israelite.  The king was the head of their nation before God.  As the king went so often did the nation.  If the king was bad the people generally followed.  What was to become of the Kingdom?  It must have been an anxious time as well.  What would become of Judah after their king died under the weight of his sin?  Can we imagine waiting to see what Uzziah’s son was like?  Can we picture being a faithful Israelites and waiting to see if the entire nation would be lead further astray?

It was a dark and scary time if you were seeking to follow the Lord in Judah.

Yet, it is in this atmosphere of fear and uncertainty that God shows Himself most clearly.

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. ² Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. ³ And one cried to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
The whole earth is full of His glory!”

⁴ And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.  Isaiah 6:1-4

God could have shown Himself to Isaiah at any time during the 52 years of Uzziah’s’ reign.  He could have given this vision during the times of faithfulness and certainty in Israel.  Yet, God waits until Uzziah is fallen in shame and sin.  He comes in a time of uncertainty and fear.  Isaiah sees God clearly when things are bleak and scary.  This is when God makes Himself so crystal clear.  It is here when the worldly viewpoint looks so bad that God’s power becomes so obvious.

Psalm 23 talks about how we will know that God is with us when we walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death.  We will know He is near and protecting us when we are eating at a table prepared in the presence of our enemies.  Can we imagine eating nachos surrounded by those who want to kill us?  The idea makes me lose my appetite.  But God promises we will be so secure in His presence it doesn’t matter whether others have murderous intent.   Our appetite will be intact and we will relax comfortably knowing the King is watching over us.  The shepherd uses a rod and staff to defend his flock against wolves and other predators.

 

We don’t know that these promises of protection and comfort are really true until we are actually in the Valley of the Shadow of Death.  We don’t fully grasp the truth of it experientially until we are surrounded by our enemies.  Before that point, it remains hypothetical.  It is a trade-off.  In some ways, we experience darkness in order to understand just how great God is to us.  We don’t see God’s great holiness and love until we understand the evil in this world.

Are we willing to experience that which cannot destroy us to get to know the One who made us?

Notice also what God shows to Isaiah, Himself seated on the throne of Heaven.  In light of the failure of an earthly king and in the midst of great uncertainty, God shows Himself seated on the real throne.  He is not scared, surprised or worried.  He is not pacing around trying to figure out how to fix the situation.  He is seated on the only throne that really matters.

He remains in total control, sovereign Lord of the whole universe.  He will never fail.  He will never come up short.  He will never lose His throne.  He will never leave us or forsake us.

We only really understand the enormity of these truths when all is in darkness around us.  The victory of the King of Kings shines the brightest when we accept the failure of all other kings.

 

Pastor Tom Neary

Calvary Catonsville Church

Calvary Chapel Maryland

5695 Main St

Elkridge, Maryland 21075

443-840-7475