In times of darkness, whatever the circumstance, thankfulness is often the last thing on our minds. We focus on what is lost instead of love. We get caught up in fear of what further loss the future may hold instead of realizing there is mercy in each moment—gifts in each day. There can be delight in darkness.
But how? How can there be hope in the depths of despair? In a crumbled future riddled with more uncertainty than security? I believe the answer is a divinely aided heavenly perspective. We must remember that Heaven is a person, not a primarily a place. The place will be heaven because HE will be there, unclouded, unveiled. I also think the first step of this is thankfulness. In numerous places in the Bible God calls us to “give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1. Thes. 5:18). There can be delight in darkness as we trust that He has allowed it for our good and His glory, like Job, we have a hope. Additionally, God KNOWS this darkness, inside and out, its not a mystery to him (Daniel 2:20) and in that there is great hope. Darkness is a time of wrestling, we grow as we worship by faith, not by sight. When we pray honestly and humbly like the character, father Tim, that “Father, I don’t know why you’re causing or allowing this hard thing to happen, but I’m going to give thanks in it because you ask me to. I’m going to trust You to have a purpose for it that I can’t know and may never know. Bottom line, you’re God—and that’s good enough for me”.
Will the dark circumstance change immediately when you pray in thankfulness? Maybe, but that cannot be our motive—as if we can manipulate God. Will we be able to delight in the midst of darkness when we thank and Trust him? Absolutely. Not because we deny that it hurts, rather, because we are able to see that there is something more important than our pain- there is purpose in it. Our perspective shift will sharpen our focus on our Sovereign Savior.
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