God is with me - even in the Dark.

" God is with me—even in the Dark "

“Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light,  trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.”  Isaiah 50:10. In the Bible a new day begins with darkness.  In Genesis chapter 1 each new day is introduced with the words,  “and there was evening, and there was morning—the first day“.  The second day, and so on. When God wants to take us into a new day of spiritual experience,  He often begins with darkness.  He leads us into a period of confusion, pain and disappointment.  Take Joseph for example.  God had told him that he would be ruling one day.  Instead, for years he endured the exact opposite.  He was rejected by his brothers,  sold into slavery and endured a long imprisonment.  Yet, all the while God was preparing him for a new day  when the promise would become reality. Are you in a time of darkness?  You can’t see the way.  You don’t understand what’s happening.  It makes no sense to you.  Tell God about it and then leave it with Him.  He knows the way and He is leading you into a new day. God has promised us treasures of darkness.  “I will give you the treasures of darkness,  riches stored in secret places,  so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel,  who calls you by name “  (Isaiah 45:3). The greatest treasure is to know God in a deeper way:  to know that God is real and He meets real needs.  It’s in the dark that God’s picture unfolds. God says,  “Trust Me. Don’t try to figure out what is happening.  Simply trust Me and thank Me in advance  for the good that will come out of it all.” It will be a surprise how God will break into your life this time. “Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths;  guide me in your truth and teach me for you are God my Savior,  and my hope is in you all day long.”  (Psalm 25:4,5).

CALLED TO CHANGE.

" Called to  Change "

Matthew 4:18-22  

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, 

Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. 

They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.

 'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 'and I will send you out to fish for people.' 

At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, 

he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. 

They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. 

Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. 

When Jesus called these two sets of brothers, it was not because of what they were, 

but because of what He would make of them. 

Fishermen were trained to go out to harvest the sea whatever the weather, day and night. 

However, the same life-principles would be needed to be apostles ('sent ones') of Jesus. 

Until then, there was much for them to learn , as they observed what Jesus did and said, 

and as they accepted His teaching and put it into practice.

First they were challenged to change their way of life. 

They knew the rigours of being apprenticed to their fathers; 

Jesus now instructed them to be His apprentices. 

Staying as fishermen provided security, 

and one day the family businesses would belong to them. 

Leaving the boats imposed an uncertain future on the young men, 

their fathers and others who depended on the family income. 

However, at the call of Jesus, 

they said 'No' to their familiar way of life and 'Yes' to a new life. 

All they knew was that Jesus would teach them how to catch men instead of fish.

'Catching men' was Jesus' expression for rescuing people 

who had previously been held captive by Satan (Luke 4:18-19). 

These people were like fish following their own type of lifestyle, 

doing the best they could for themselves without any concern for God.

The 'fishing' method would not be net or hook or harpoon, 

but by attracting people to Jesus as the apostles preached the gospel 

and demonstrated God's saving power. 

But first, the fishermen had to learn from Jesus; 

His call demanded a radical change of lifestyle and they responded wholeheartedly.

Discipleship always involves a call to the uncertainty of change. 

The 'call' is an inescapable inner conviction that God is commanding us to obey. 

" When He calls, everything is safe in His hands. 

When He teaches, the 'examinations' will get harder as we progress, 

but He never leaves us to deal with them alone. 

Wherever He sends, He always provides ". 

But whenever He calls, and for whatever purpose, 

the challenge of change needs to be faced. 

The 'bottom line' question is, 

'Do we believe that we will be safe in the hands of Jesus 

even though the circumstances are out of our control; 

or do we think that we will only be safe 

if we stay with what we know and can command'? 

Prayer for the day !

Heavenly Father. I am grateful that You have called me to follow Jesus. 

I am sorry for those times when I have been afraid of the changes 

and resisted Your call to serve You. 

Please help me to recognise that You know best how to fulfil Your purposes, 

and that You will always provide for Your people. 

Help me to keep trusting, learning and changing 

so that I can be an effective part of Your gospel team. 

In Jesus' Name. Amen.