Scripture
Even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
~Psalm 139:12, NIV
Quote
Never mind whether you sleep or not, just be still. In the quiet and the darkness, you hear the still small voice as did Samuel the boy.
~Charles Cowman
I’ve heard ignorant preacher say, “Leaven {yeast} is always a sign or symbol of evil.” They forget that Jesus used leaven as a metaphor for the kingdom of God {Matthew 13:33}. It is true that leaven is used more often as a metaphor to describe how infectious evil can be. Leaven works quietly, it is not visible to the human eye, it spreads and permeates because it is a bacteria. Without leaven, bread is style and hard. So leaven can be used to describe how infectious evil can be or how miraculously the gospel can spread even when no one seems to be aware that it is spreading.
So too, darkness is generally a symbol of evil. Jesus said, “Men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil.” The Sanhedrin worked their diabolical and evil plan to crucify Jesus under the cover of darkness. It is true that more crime and violence occur during the dark hours. BUT darkness is not always a symbol of evil. God created day {light} and night {darkness} for a reason, a very good reason. David used the darkness as a time of rest. He knew that Saul and his men would not be hunting him at night. None us really understand the stress that David was under: he was at the top of ISRAEL’S most wanted list and was being hunted by the head of state who had all the resources of state. When the US finally put a target on Osama Bin Laden, what happened? It took a few years and a lot of intelligence but they got him. David’s chances of survival were almost none existent. I doubt that anyone, including his family, believed that David would escape Saul’s wrath.
We need darkness for rest just like plants need darkness for growth. Plants grow at night. During the day they absorb the sunlight which enables photosynthesis. Just think of photosynthesis as a hard workout in the gym. You cannot build muscle by constant workout. If you don’t allow the body to rest, you will actually tear it down and not build it up. The plants are getting a healthy workout in the day time but at night they get the rest they need to grow. When June and I were in Israel back in 1990, they had the banana stalks covered. They do this to make them grow faster.
The same principle works with the human mind. Dr. Jack Taylor was fond of saying, “Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is take a nap.” After a very busy week of four or five 20,000 step days [my watch ran down so I don’t know for sure], I sat down in my study last Saturday night to work on my Sunday message. I was so tired that I could not hold my head up and after 30 minutes of bobbling and not comprehending a thing I read, I said to the LORD, “This is not working. I don’t know what else to do other than go home and go to bed.” The LORD said, “Go home and go straight to bed, no TV. Do not worry about sleep, just lie down and meditate.” So I did exactly as He said. He woke me up bright and early Sunday morning. I was in my study well before daylight and He began speaking so clearly that I grabbed an pen and started writing.
If we stay on a constant go, do this, do that, busy, busy, busy–our minds get cluttered and clogged. We become awkward and dysfunctional. We need quiet, stillness, and rest and darkness gives us the cover. I love the day but thank God for the nights.
Another full day prayer partners: Steven Anthony Kelsoe’s Celebration of Life Service at 1:30 and Pizza For Students from 4:00-6:30 with prayer meeting at 6:30. There will be no message tonight. We will have our prayer time and a short business meeting.
LORD willing our Sheriff will be with us Sunday as we recognize Law Enforcement at Grace Point. Our picnic for Sunday night is still on but due to the meat shortage, we had to change the menu. It is going to be TNT Burgers, State Fair Hot Dogs, chips and homemade ice cream. Bring your lawn chairs. One of these days, I am going to through a picnic for all our blog readers.
We need rain! Have a great day!