Isaiah 45:3, 7 “’I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name … I am the LORD, and there is no other. I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things.’”
Israel has gone through years of darkness. They learned survival. It’s hard to learn survival when you’re living in the “light.” In this passage God promises them riches and redemption. They can be sure He will not forget them.
Principle: The worst times in life are the best times to learn spiritual truth.
It is a universal truth is that hard times teach us to “know” God. Failure is a better teacher than success. Darkness is a fearful thing to go through, yet dark periods reveal treasures from God. Dark places are storage places of riches. It is hard to see them in the light. What is the purpose of those dark places? “So that you may know that I am the Lord.”
I am tired of fear-based decision-making trying to make certainty out of uncertainty. God likes uncertainty because it causes me to trust in and depend on Him for everything. I long to believe and truly look to an outcome that can only be explained with “only God could do that!”
Unless we go through times in which we are completely at God’s mercy, we may not experience or recognize God’s faithfulness. In failure, we can know how personal He is. He has summoned me by name. Every hair on my head is numbered. He knows every activity of my life. His love knows no bounds. His power knows no limit.
Michael Redman wrote the song Blessed Be Your Name. I choke up with emotion when I sing it.
Every blessing You pour out I’ll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in Lord, still I will say
Blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed be Your name.
Blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed be Your name.
You give and take away, You give and take away.
My heart will choose to say Lord, blessed by Your name.
I trust it will be easier for me to sing this song when I get to heaven. In the meantime, here are some of His names from A-Z. that speak to me.
Awesome – Blessed – Comfort – Deliverer – El Shaddai (all sufficient) – Friend -Gracious – Helper – Immanuel (God with me) – Joy – Mercy – Name above every name – Overcomer – Peace – Quiet – Refuge – Shield – Tender – Unfailing – Victory – Wonderful – Yahweh Roi (my shepherd) – Zion (city of God).
Discussion:
1. Prosperity is also from God. Have you enjoyed a season of prosperity?
2. What treasure did you find in a dark place in your life?
3. What is a name or description of God that means a lot to you today?
