I’m not generally a fan of dark times. What do I mean by dark times? I mean times marked by difficulty, disruption, suffering, and loss. I’m guessing you’re not a fan, either. Life tends to bring plenty of difficulty and loss with it. Jesus once said, "In this world, you will have trouble." An immediate "amen" accompanied by a deep sigh rises up within me. He was certainly telling the truth. Jesus finishes that statement with, "But take heart, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). Another hearty "amen" rises up within me.
Where do we find hope in the midst of such looming darkness? I mean, it's one thing to hope for a different kind of existence later (such as heaven after we die), but what about now? How do we navigate dark times in the present?
In the Bible, the imagery of “darkness” represents different things. It can represent blindness, ignorance, judgment, sin, evil, danger, death, … and new beginnings.
For instance, at the beginning of the Bible, the creation poem starts with darkness, chaos, disorder:
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters,” and then, “…there was light” (Genesis 1:1-3).
So what starts with darkness and chaos and disorder culminates in the light of a new beginning. The Spirit of God is at work in the darkness, and the darkness becomes light. This pattern is found throughout scripture[1], revealing that deep in the conscience of the people of Israel was this idea that darkness, chaos, and wilderness were a precursor to new beginnings.
Think of how a new life begins in the darkness of the womb (see Psalm 139:11-15), or how the seasons follow the pattern of death (fall, winter) and resurrection (spring, summer). This pattern is made explicit in the life of Jesus, whose Passion Week begins with the darkness of suffering and death on the cross, but culminates in the light of Resurrection.
New beginnings often start in the darkness of the cross. But in that dark place, God is often doing deep, transformative work, leading to a resurrection. Are you in a wilderness, a time of darkness, a form of chaos, a time of testing?
Take heart, and trust the process. Let it change you. Grapes must be crushed to make wine, diamonds form under pressure, olives are pressed to release oil, and seeds grow in the darkness. If you feel crushed, under pressure, pressed, or in darkness, you are in a powerful place of transformation. Hold steady, and rise up!
A new beginning will dawn.
[1] In Old Testament imagery, the concealing or covering quality of darkness is often associated with the appearance of God… ie. God’s covenant w/ Abram in Gen. 15, God appears on Mt. Sinai in a shroud of awe-inspiring darkness in Ex. 20 and Deut. 4-5, God appears in a dark storm in 2 Samuel 22, God dwells in thick darkness in 1 Kings 8 and 2 Chronicles 6—(contrast with 1 Timothy 6:16, God “lives in unapproachable light”)—these are often under the premise that humans cannot see God and live, so God veils himself as an act of mercy, while initiating a new beginning with his people. For some New Testament imagery, see also Acts 26:18, 2 Corinthians 4:6, and Ephesians 5:13.
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