God Dwells in the Thick Darkness

Psalm 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
Psalm 18:11 He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
1Kings 8:12 Then spake Solomon, The LORD said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.

Have you ever felt overwhelmed and depressed, like a dark cloud just followed you whereever you went? Have you ever felt like God has taken the sunshine of His love away from you? Maybe you feel like that today.

Read the verses above and see what it says about darkness. Those who dwell in the secret place of the most High abide under the shadow of the Almighty. What is the secret place of God? Darkness. It seems to be an unlikely place for God to dwell in. Yet, Scripture tells us that the Lord said he would dwell in the thick darkness.

I remember visiting Mark Twain's Cave in Hannibal, MO a few times as a child. When we were deep into the cave they shut the lights off to show us how dark it is. The darkness was literally so thick we could not see our hands even when we had them less than an inch from our faces. We could not see that anyone was near us even though they stood right beside us. When you are in a dark time in your life, you may not be able to see that God is right there in the darkness beside you. Perhaps He is silent and you feel that He has left you. He has not. He is there. He dwells in the thick darkness. He is giving you an opportunity to exercise your faith even when you can¹t see or feel Him in your life. This is the place where your faith is exercised and when we exercise, what happens? It makes us stronger. So as you exercise your faith in the dark times of your life, your faith becomes stronger.

Don't give up. Don't despair. God is with you. He has said He will never leave you nor forsake you.

Dear Father, In the darkness of my life, I pray that you would help me to always remember that You are there. I forget so easily. Amen.