“And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse shall come, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles; in him the Gentiles shall hope.” Romans 15:12 (NRSB)

One of my favorite sayings is, “God does His best work in darkness.” It seems to ring true in my life. When things are the darkest, God reveals His plans and how to implement them.

We see periods of dark days throughout the Bible. The children of Israel received words from God regularly, even though many were words of disappointment, rebuke, correction, redirection, and punishment. At least God was speaking and revealing His presence in their lives. The prophets were continually trying to get God’s people to see from God’s perspective.

According to the chronology of the Bible, Malachi was the last voice the children of Israel heard before God went mute for 400 years. No more warnings, no more corrections, and no more directions—just silence. These had to be dark, uncertain, and frightening days for Israel. 

We have a tendency to be concerned when our loquacious friends or loved ones go silent for an unusual length of time. We wonder what’s wrong—are they sick, in trouble, or upset?

Since God had stopped communicating with them, the children of Israel must have wondered if God was angry with them. Would He fulfill the promises He made to them?  Would He send the Messiah to save them?

After Malachi spoke the last Messianic prophesy, generation after generation went off the scene without witnesses the coming of the Messiah. No Messiah and no word from God for 400 years.

God didn’t tell us why He stopped talking; He just went silent.

God might have stopped talking, but He didn’t stop working on His plans for the ages because the New Covenant opens with the written genealogy of Jesus Christ. The brightest Light that has ever shone burst on the scenes after 400 years of silence and darkness.

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit…So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us” (Matthew 1:18, 22-23).

The coming of our Savior after a period of silence is confirmation that God does His best work in darkness. The promises God made to Israel and the world were incubating during Israel’s darkest days.

We, too, are experiencing some dark days, but don’t despair; it’s a sign that new beginnings, new ideas, new opportunities, and new revelations will spring forth. 

Yes, God does His best work in darkness. Think about it; a mother-to-be carries a fetus in her womb for nine months. Gestation, the development of the embryo, is taking place in total darkness. The child’s vital organs, the lungs, heart, kidney, bladder, pancreas, and other organs that the child needs to function in the outside world, is growing and developing in darkness. Without the time spent in darkness, the child would not be able to function in the light. Thus, new life springs from darkness!

Don’t despair and don’t give up hope; God is doing His best work in our lives and the world during these dark days. Darkness precedes the giving of the greatest gifts that God has for us —new life, new hope, and the fulfillment of dreams burst forth out of the darkness.

Pray…

Lord, help me to recognize that darkness has its value. Give me the strength to believe You and Your Word even during the darkest days. Thank You for the new place that I will be in when I see the light again! Amen.

Posted by on Wednesday, December 9th, 2020 @ 11:00AM
Categories: Empowering, Encouragement, Inspirational
Tags: Birth, darkness, hope, Jesus, Light, Messiah, Messianic, Newlife