When I drive through our town, I see many reminders of the tornado that hit several months ago. There is still so much damage left behind from the storm that changed this town. A big enough storm can change a lot of things and leave behind a lot of scars. Unfortunately, our small town is facing a storm of a different kind, but in its own way, it is just as damaging as the one that came through earlier this year. For the last week, I have literally felt the weight of the dark clouds gathering over our town. It is a heavy weight because of the darkness associated with this storm.
My pastor repeated something this Sunday that he has told our congregation before. “Satan is after your children”. This past week was a horrific reminder of that truth. As I thought about all the things going through my mind this week and how heavy everything feels, I was reminded of a story about Moses in Exodus chapter twenty. Moses and the Israelites were standing at Mt. Sinai while the mountain was enveloped in a thick cloud of darkness. There was also a lot of thunder and lightning and the people are afraid to draw near even though Moses assured them it was going to be okay.
Verse twenty-one tells us that “the people remained standing at a distance as Moses approached the thick darkness where God was”. God was in the darkness, my friend. While I was considering this, I remembered the words of David in Psalm 139 where he talked about how there was nowhere he could go that God would not be there. He tells God that “even the darkness is not dark to You” (v. 12). God is in the darkness, dear heart. What does that mean? It means that no matter how dark it gets, God is still there. He can be found, even in the darkest of storms.
What a comfort it is to know that God can be found in the darkness; He can be found in the storm. Like Moses, I need not fear the storm; He is there. Even in the darkness, when clouds surround me and blot out the light; He is my Light (John 8:12). Somewhere in the midst of the darkness, my precious Lord is there with me. He does not let us walk into the storm alone. The question I must ask myself is this. Am I looking at the storm or am I looking for Him in the storm. He’s there. Am I looking at Him? Am I looking to see where He is in the midst of the darkness?
Yes, it is harder to see Him in the storm, and I may have to work harder to keep my eyes focused, but He is there. This means that I have to choose to look past the clouds and fix my eyes on Him. I have to intentionally lift my focus above the storm, beloved. How can I do this? One of the best ways is to dig even deeper into His Word. “Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path” Psalm 119:105. His Word is my Light in the darkness. It will show me the way. I must hold tightly to it so that it can show me how to find Him in this darkness!
Dear heart, whatever storm you may be facing, remember this. You are not alone. He is with you. Let His Word light the way so that you can clearly see your path through the darkness. Look for the seeds of hope hidden along the way and let them give you courage to keep pressing on. “‘And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age'” Matt. 28:20b.
