In the Dark

2006-01-26T10:01:00.000-08:00

The hardest times happen in the middle of the night. You can’t sleep; your mind races and worry, sorrow and fear wash over you. The house is quiet again, too quiet – the empty spot in the bed next to you is cold and silently screams out that it will never be filled again. During the day, it is easier to cope – to handle it. You can immerse yourself in busy work, focus on your kids, drown in meaningless TV, but at night you are alone with the thoughts tumbling around in your brain. But it is in the dark, that light shines the most brightly. In my despair, I began to seek and search for Light. In the hours that I could not sleep, God’s word shone the most brightly. In the quiet, God speaks to your heart, reminding you of promises He has made for you. In this quiet solitude, God prepares you and strengthens you as you spend more time with Him. People begin to marvel at the fact that you are surviving and perhaps even seem happy or at peace.
In this kind of darkness, there is still hope, still life and even joy. I realized that God allowed me to experience this kind of darkness as a way of preparation for me. Preparation for what He had planned for me. As I followed His leading, wandering through His word and allowed the Holy Spirit to speak to me, He showed me through examples, how He worked in the times of most darkness.

Sometimes it takes time in the dark to:

Turn the heart of a reluctant prophet to do God’s will….

Jonah 1:17, 2:1-10

“17 But the Lord provided a large fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
1 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying, "I called to the Lord out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. 3 You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me. 4 Then I said, "I am driven away from your sight; how shall I look again upon your holy temple?' 5 The waters closed in over me; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped around my head 6 at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the Pit, O Lord my God. 7 As my life was ebbing away, I remembered the Lord; and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. 8 Those who worship vain idols forsake their true loyalty. 9 But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Deliverance belongs to the Lord!"
10 Then the Lord spoke to the fish, and it spewed Jonah out upon the dry land. “

Soften the heart of Pharoah to free prisoners…

Exodus 12: 29-32
“29 At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the prisoner who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock. 30 Pharaoh arose in the night, he and all his officials and all the Egyptians; and there was a loud cry in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead. 31 Then he summoned Moses and Aaron in the night, and said, "Rise up, go away from my people, both you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord, as you said. 32 Take your flocks and your herds, as you said, and be gone. And bring a blessing on me too!"”

Feel God’s protection:

Psalms 23:4
“Even though I walk through the dark valley of death, I will not be afraid, for You are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me”

To truly see…

Isaiah 42:7
“You will open the eyes of the blind and free the captives from prison. You will release those who sit in dark dungeons.”

Prepare to face Satan’s attack…

Mark 14:32-42
“32 They went to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." 33 He took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be distressed and agitated. 34 And he said to them, "I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and keep awake." 35 And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 He said, "Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want." 37 He came and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep awake one hour? 38 Keep awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." 39 And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. 40 And once more he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to say to him. 41 He came a third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Enough! The hour has come; the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand." “

See God’s glory in resurrection (redemption and restoration)

John 20:1
“Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.”

To bring His children out of darkness…

John 12:46
“ I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in Me will no longer remain in darkness.” - Jesus

Phoenix

2006-01-12T14:32:00.000-08:00

Going through a divorce is like experiencing a death. Death of a spouse, death of a whole family. Your way of life is changed - not of your own choosing, and the intimacy you once treasured, that trust is shattered. In ways, you feel as if your spouse had died, things would have been easier. In death, usually, you know that your spouse loved you - and their leaving was not of their own choosing. In divorce, they are gone, - gone because they no longer wanted to be with you. It hurts... It crushes.... In situtations where there are children, the children do not understand why they have been discarded and abandoned. What have they done wrong? Why have they been left too? Now you must continue to function, even when you are numb. You must continue to play your role in the family - and pick up a few others you never dreamed you'd have to - things you're not really equipped to handle. You must continue to deal with the one that hurt you most, because you have to for the children. It is surreal. Your children now spend time away from you - the house is so very empty, that the very silence pounds your ears - so much so that you often flee to a more noisy venue.

So hopeless... So lost...

But....

There is hope.

The purpose of this blog is to encourage and inspire those journeying through this dark time.

All is not lost...
You are not alone...

During the time I felt the most alone, God filled me with His Presence and kept me close to His heart, in the palm of His hand.

He had other things in mind - promising that what was not restored, would be replaced - in Him.

I want to share how God has worked in my life, through my divorce, through my daily walk, leading me in His way, to the path I am on...

To a Christian man, following God's leading - bringing us together.

I will share the past, hoping to encourage others and maybe help others as well.

Most of all, I will give glory to the One that is worthy of praise.

Lord Jesus - Thank you.

Jeremiah 31 (NLT)

Hope for Restoration

¹"In that day," says the LORD, "I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people. ²I will care for the survivors as they travel through the wilderness. I will again come to give rest to the people of Israel."

³Long ago the LORD said to Israel: "I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself. ⁴I will rebuild you, my virgin Israel. You will again be happy and dance merrily with tambourines. ⁵Again you will plant your vineyards on the mountains of Samaria and eat from your own gardens there. ⁶The day will come when watchmen will shout from the hill country of Ephraim, `Come, let us go up to Jerusalem to worship the LORD our God.' "

⁷Now this is what the LORD says: "Sing with joy for Israel! Shout for the greatest of nations! Shout out with praise and joy: `Save your people, O LORD, the remnant of Israel!' ⁸For I will bring them from the north and from the distant corners of the earth. I will not forget the blind and lame, the expectant mothers and women about to give birth. A great company will return! ⁹Tears of joy will stream down their faces, and I will lead them home with great care. They will walk beside quiet streams and not stumble. For I am Israel's father, and Ephraim is my oldest child.

¹⁰"Listen to this message from the LORD, you nations of the world; proclaim it in distant coastlands: The LORD, who scattered his people, will gather them together and watch over them as a shepherd does his flock. ¹¹For the LORD has redeemed Israel from those too strong for them. ¹²They will come home and sing songs of joy on the heights of Jerusalem. They will be radiant because of the many gifts the LORD has given them--the good crops of wheat, wine, and oil, and the healthy flocks and herds. Their life will be like a watered garden, and all their sorrows will be gone. ¹³The young women will dance for joy, and the men--old and young--will join in the celebration. I will turn their mourning into joy. I will comfort them and exchange their sorrow for rejoicing. ¹⁴I will supply the priests with an abundance of offerings. I will satisfy my people with my bounty. I, the LORD, have spoken!"

Restored Hearts

In the Dark

Phoenix

Jeremiah 31 (NLT)

Hope for Restoration