"Forsake me not, O Lord; O my God, be not far from me. Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation." Ps. 38:21-2
"Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God." Is. 50:10 (NIV)
Darkness and despair can be a part of a Christian's life. If you disagree, then you have never read the scriptures. Though most of the troubles that came upon God's people were a result of their sin and rebellion, many others were merely a result of God's providence, His sovereign preference that they walk through the flood, through the fire, through the dark. Being a child of God does not mean sunshine and roses, nor does it even mean darkness and despair. The life of a Christian is one where you simply acknowledge (whether it be rain or shine) that you are in the hands of God, a fact that no external circumstances can change or affect.
In forgetting the reality of darkness in the Christian life, we forget the most vital thing: trusting God. In the overly optimistic view of life, we lose the understanding that God's ways are indeed mysterious and incomprehensible at the moment. However, in the overly pessimistic view of life, we can forget that God's proven goodness gives us grounds to trust Him. In the end, we should be preaching neither a life of daisies nor of dread; we should be preaching the life of faith, i.e., of trusting God; of acknowledging His sovereignty, His holiness, and His love in our lives.
-Jon Vowell
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