How can we be encouraged in dark times? Life has its ups and downs, and sometimes we experience tough times. Poor choices, relationship problems, health complications, job issues, or other things can cause difficult times. Where do we turn, and what do we do when issues of the day threaten to overwhelm us? We can turn to the Lord. David shares how the Lord saved him from a dark time. Psalm 40:2 He (the Lord) lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. [1]
Remember that the Lord hears your prayer if you feel like you are in a pit! When we are in the pit of despair and the mud and mire, we can’t lift ourselves out of our hole, but the Lord can.
The People in the Days of Isaiah Felt Overwhelmed by Darkness
Isaiah 9:1 Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory. [2]
The ongoing sin of the people of Israel had resulted in destruction. The Assyrians conquered their nation. Place yourself in their sandals as you see death and devastation around you. Crops and buildings burned, and the enemy forced all able-bodied people to march away as slaves. As they went into captivity, to make sure they did not escape, they tied them together with fishhooks in their faces. Through this terrible season, the Lord was at work in their despair, and He had not forgotten about them.
The first tribes to be taken away were Zebulun and Naphtali. This is the same area that came to be known as Galilee. It is the same spot where Jesus, the Light of the World, began His ministry. John 8: 12 Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”[3]
Despair and Darkness Will Not go on Forever
God didn’t forget the suffering of those who were taken away by the Assyrians. Their sin had caused judgment. But God sent light into the darkness. 1 John 1:5 God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all…7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.[4]
We may be experiencing difficult times even as believers, but the Lord has not forgotten us. When we look to the Lord, something changes in our hearts. Our situation may not change, but we remember that the Lord is with us and loves us. We may be suffering, but our Savior, Jesus, knows what suffering is like. Isaiah 53:6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. [5] In dark times, look to the Light, Jesus our Savior.
To be encouraged in dark times, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/fulfilled-the-light
[1-5] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.