How to Get Out of a Dark Place
It’s been tough this week to watch piles of clothes, furniture, appliances, and TVs out in front of every home on my street. It’s dark. It’s difficult. 40,000 homes are under 4-8 feet of water. Nine megachurches are totally flooded. Not one church had services last Sunday.
Jacob was in a dark place. Running from his brother, he found a rock to sleep on. There, in a dream, he saw God. (Gen 28)
How can you find a blessing in a dark place?
1. THE DARK PLACE.
We sometimes come to a place of darkness, fear, confusion, despair, even depression. Jacob had perhaps never spent a night outside of his home. He was alone and confused.
Thousands have spent an entire week in a strange shelter with hundreds of strangers, pets, and zero privacy. It all seems so hopeless and dark.
2. THE HARD PLACE
Jacob found a "rock." It was not much of a pillow, but it was all he had! In that hard place, we must “make do” with whatever we can find: for food, for shelter, for rest. It is a place of survival, not comfort.
When the “creature comforts” (TVs, couches, beds, hot showers) are gone, we come back to the basics. We see ourselves as we really are, and it is…hard.
3. THE AWESOME PLACE
In Jacob’s most desperate place, God met him and opened the heavenly dimension to him. He had a dream and saw a stairway to heaven! Angels were going up and down, bringing him blessings from the unseen world.
In our darkest, most difficult place is where God sometimes comes to us the greatest. In our darkest hours, we must become aware of the other world. The angels are there. The presence of God is there. Finances are there.
We must become “aware” of this other world. Jacob said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!”
“YOU CAN ALWAYS FIND A BLESSING IN A DARK PLACE. ”
Elijah found a raven with meat in his mouth when he was in the wilderness. (1 Kings 17:4-6)
Peter found a coin in a fish’s mouth when he owed his taxes! (Matt 17:24-27)
Samson found a jawbone to kill 1000 Philistines. (Judges 15:14-15)
Hagar found a spring when she was dying of thirst in the wilderness. (Gen 16:7)
Become more “aware” of the world of light than this dark world. God knows you are in a hard place, a dark place. Look for the blessing. Day by day, week by week, His blessings will become clearer to you. One day, you will be past this dark place.
20 years later, Jacob returned to that dark place. He had 12 beautiful children, a beautiful family, and massive wealth in livestock. He built an altar and gave God glory and thanks.
You WILL rebuild.
What blessing have you seen this week while going through a dark place? Please share with me, and encourage each others by posting in the comment section.
If you want to join us in providing relief to those affected by the flood please visit bethany.com to get started.