Treasures of darkness...

I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name. 
Isaiah 45: 3

In its context, this was spoken to an unbeliever, the Persian Emperor Cyrus, whom God was planning to use for a special task. That’s why it says, vs 4, “You do not acknowledge me,” and vs 3, “... so that you will know I am the Lord.”

However, the phrase, “treasures of darkness,” can hold deep significance for us as believers, because it is often in the dark times of life that we can have our most meaningful experiences of who God is. When I look back at the hardest, darkest seasons of my life (there have been three of them: in 1989, in 2000 and in 2007), I notice that those were some of the times where I was most aware of God’s presence and of His speaking clearly and personally to me.

Some people have told me the opposite: they say that their dark times in life were seasons where it felt as if God was far away and it seemed like heaven was silent. Whichever way we experience it, however, our response in those dark times, dry times or hard times is critical. Will we back away from God in those seasons, or will we push in and seek His presence even more?

When we remain faithful in our “quiet times” (times alone with God) during seasons of darkness or silence, we are powerfully demonstrating our unconditional commitment to seeking God and being in relationship with Him. We will emerge from those times having discovered riches stored in secret places.  God has a rich storehouse of treasures for us, but some of those treasures, just like the diamond or the pearl, are formed in the dark places. 

Psalm 139 vs 11- 12 tell us that even the darkness is a place of light for God. It’s our choice whether we move into the light or hide alone in the place of darkness.