The fearful hare trembles at every cry; but the courageous
lion is unmoved by the greatest clamors. Were believers to shrink back at every
contrary wind that blows, they would never make their voyage to heaven.
William Secker, seventeenth-century clergyman
William Secker, seventeenth-century clergyman
Behold, all you who kindle a
fire, who encircle yourselves with firebrands, walk in the light of your fire
and among the brands you have set ablaze. This you will have from My hand; and
you will lie down in torment
When your way suddenly gets
dark, don't light your own fire. Our natural tendency when we don't see life
God's way is to do it our way. Resist the urge to create your own light.
In Isaiah 50:11, God is not
talking about the fire of judgment; He's talking about fire that creates light.
When we try to find our way out of the darkness by our own devices instead of
waiting for God's light, God will allow it, but misery will follow.
Let me illustrate. God called
Abraham out of Ur into the Promised Land. In Genesis 12, a covenant was made in
which God promised Abraham that his descendants would be more numerous than the
sands of the sea or the stars in the sky. Abraham lived his life in the light
of that promise, then God turned out the light.
So many years passed that his
wife Sarah could no longer bear a child by natural means. God's guidance had
been so clear before, but now it looked like Abraham would have to assist God
in its fulfillment. Who could blame Abraham for creating his own light? Sarah
supplied the match by offering her handmaiden to Abraham. Out of that union
came the Arab nation which has been in conflict with the Jewish nation ever
since. Abraham created his own light, God allowed it, and misery followed.
We may not have to wait as long
as Abraham did, but our darkness may last for weeks, months, and possibly for
some exceptional people, even years. But God is in control and He knows exactly
how big a knothole He can pull us through. When your faith is stretched to its
limit and you are about to break, He will pull you through to the other side
and you will never go back to the shape you were in before.
Prayer: The
dark times are difficult, Lord, but I thank You for how I have grown and
matured as I have trusted You through them.
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