"What I tell you in Darkness"

Sometimes Jesus puts us through "darkness". I read a verse in Matthew today, "What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in the light; and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops."(10:27). I am thankful for those times of "darkness", aren't you? The Lord speaks to us through hard times. I think He means for us to be quiet during those times so that He can really teach us; then after we are come back "into the light", we will have learned the lessons and can speak of them and help others who may be going through similar circumstances. This morning I was continuing in the book of Luke. Two malefactors hung on crosses beside the Lord Jesus at His crucifixion. They were both going through a "dark time". As I read the words of the repentant thief, I realized that he didn't have a lot of time to be quiet and listen, but perhaps his time in the "darkness" was just a fleeting one - he learned the lesson that God was trying to teach him. He learned in just a short time, that he was a sinner bound for hell unless he placed his trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah.  Not only did he LEARN the lesson, but he preached it upon the housetops too. I don't know how many hours he hung there, hearing the people jeer and mock the Lord Jesus, but once God had taught him of his hopeless condition he opened his mouth and publicly gave testimony that he accepted Christ's death on the cross in payment for his own eternal death! What a lesson he taught!

Similarly, Jesus had shared with Peter (in Luke 22) that Satan desired to sift him (Peter) as wheat. Satan was going to tempt Peter. Jesus said that He had prayed for him, that his faith would not fail. He then said, "and when thou art converted, strengthen the brethren." That is the purpose for our dark times, our times of temptation (and sometimes even failing through the temptation)...that we can "speak in the light" and "strengthen the brethren", and "preach upon the housetops".

I'm trying to let God teach me that when I'm in a time of darkness I should keep quiet; don't talk to others about my darkness, don't read books about why I'm going through it, but listen (through His Word) and heed, waiting for Him to bring me back into the light. God gives us precious opportunities to "speak in the light" what He has taught us in the darkness.

God is perfect and what He does in our lives is just what we individually need! How precious to belong to a God like that.

Those who know the Lord as Savior; as we head into the day, whether we're in 'darkness' or in' the light' at this moment, I pray that we'll heed Him so that God can richly bless us as He teaches us each the lessons of life.