Into the Darkness

By Fran Lee Strickland 

“As the people stood in the distance, Moses entered into the deep darkness where God was.” Exodus 20:21 (TLB)

My last post was entitled ‘Light Trumps Darkness’ and discussed how “all the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle” and how Jesus’ light dispels the darkness. In light of that, pardon the pun, it may seem contradictory this week for me to talk about going into the darkness instead of moving toward the light.

In the verse above Moses enters into a darkness that is deep. I interpret this to mean that it is not a short period of time nor is it just a minor tough spot in his journey of life. I believe it is another turning point in his destiny to fulfill God’s will not only for his own life, but the life of many others. You would think he had already traversed his initiation into his destiny by gathering the courage to go before Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, to ask for the release of his people, the Israelites. If that were not enough, after the Israelites were released by the ruler of Egypt, Moses then led them to a place where his faith was again tested. Did he really believe God would or could provide a way for them to safely navigate the Red Sea to safety? I imagine Moses was sweating bullets as he stood at the edge of that water with a panicked, unorganized, emotionally and physically worn down, hoard of people.

And if that wasn’t enough, once in the desert with these now rebellious, grumbly people, he is appointed to climb Mt Sinai to seek the will of God. Again.

If God is light, then why does Moses go into the darkness to find him?

 

John 1:5 says “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.”

The truth, as we see in the Book of Exodus, is that sometimes we must go through a dark period in our lives to find God. The harsher truth is that it is possible that we may have to endure it alone. The Israelites wanted to know God’s will for their lives, but they were afraid. They didn’t want to endure the dark cloud that hovered over Mt. Sinai, even though what they were seeking was there. Moses had to go it alone. 

When the lights go out due to lack of electricity, we have to walk through the darkness to find a candle, oil lamp, or battery operated flashlight, anything that will illuminate our current situation. We are intensely focused on finding relief from the darkness. Likewise, when we are plunged into darkness due to a crisis, we have to fumble our way through the dark, painful situation to find God who is the ultimate light. This journey can involve being separated from those we love, or a loss of something important to us. This kind of pain intensifies our senses.

What happens when our senses are more acute?

• We see things we haven’t noticed before.
• Food tastes sweeter or saltier.
• Human touch amplifies electrical pulses.
• Aromas are more alluring or more pungent.
• We hear distinctive sounds above other noises.

During Moses’ sojourn on the mountain, he was able to hear God’s voice more distinctly than he could when he was hanging out with the crowd below. After spending time with God alone in the darkness, Moses had no doubt as to what God’s requirements were for his life. In fact, he came down the mountain with God’s will written in stone not only for his life, but the life of the Israelites as well. Moses was able to influence the lives of possibly over a million Israelites because of his encounter with God. Whew! That’s a powerful thought. Not only does spending time alone with God in the darkness affect us, it affects others as well.

Writers are often plunged into a dark place when seeking truth in the writing process.

We often find ourselves isolated from the world around us, but the quietness that separation provides allows us to interpret life with more clarity.

Are you going through a period of darkness in your life right now? Be encouraged! God will be there waiting in the middle of it. If you seek Him, you will find Him.

Please feel free to share a time when you felt isolated from the world and encountered God in the process.

Did the experience produce clarity for your situation?