Treasures of Darkness

A great pastor friend of ours recently sent us an encouraging e-mail. He was speaking from Isaiah 45:3, "I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD." When I first read through his e-mail, I wasn't quite sure I completely understood the concept of "the treasure of darkness." Here is a little excerpt from his e-mail:

The word treasures is translated from a Hebrew word which means depository. This reveals that God purposely will allow times of darkness for the express purpose of making spiritual deposits in our lives. But why darkness you ask? At least I did when this came to me! We cannot see in the dark. However God sees in the darkness as in the noonday. When we are in darkness we must fully trust him and remain focused on Him (Isaiah 50:10). We must allow Him to take us by the hand (give up or control and independence) and lead us. He leads us to his "hidden riches" which translated means "secret storehouse" and "secret places" which translated means "secret covert" or "hidden shelter." He revealeth the deep and hidden things, HE KNOWETH WHAT IS IN THE DARKNESS, and the light dwelleth with him (Daniel 2:22). Many run from dark times and take comfort in the shelter of their own making. But God wants us to find the "secret shelters" (protection) and "secret storehouses" (spiritual provision) of His presence. When we know where these spiritual secret places are in Him and how to access them we can abide there in the midst of any difficult situation here in the natural realm with righteous, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit reigning in our heart. We also know how to lead others to those same sanctuaries.

This past week and up until Sunday our church has been praying 24 hours every day. Tonight when I was praying, I came across this verse again and was intrigued by it again. Our pastor friend told us that, out of love for us, God sends us times of darkness when we must seek his treasure. I thought about a treasure, and its value. And God spoke this to me: A treasure earnestly sought after is more highly valued then one stumbled upon by chance, or one received through no effort.

Think, if you will, of a precious artifact in a museum. Can you see in your mind's eye, numbers of people all filing past as they look in awe at this amazing treasure? They recognize it has value, and appreciate it on some level for two minutes and then move on to the next exhibit. Now, imagine the man or woman who spent countless hours possibly in the dark, digging and searching for treasure. Imagine how differently they would view the same item...how differently they would value it. They didn't just happen upon some incredible thing lying in the street, they sought for it, and their efforts were rewarded.

I think we are experiencing the same situation here in Hlinsko. It feels strange to call this time, "dark" because that can give a negative feeling. But I would say that it is dark in the sense that what God is doing or is about to do is unknown, hence it is "dark". We feel a need to press in and search in the secret places and the dark corners for the treasure that God has waiting. I know that it will be a multi-faceted treasure, and I know the more I seek, the more I will personally value whatever it is He has waiting! It is quite the experience to be a fellow seeker alongside the youth here! Their passion for searching is contagious and exciting. When the treasure is revealed, I know that their joy will be outstanding! They have such hearts for their peers, and for their country...what an exciting time!