There is so much treasure hidden around us. When everything is taken away from us except for God, we begin to see the treasures that God wants us to see. Hidden in the dirt and rock, waiting for us to chip away and find them is wisdom. Wisdom is found in the deep places, in the mines of pressure and testing. “From where then does Wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding? It is hidden from the eyes of all living, and knowledge of it is withheld from the birds of the heavens.” (Job 28:20–21, AMP) Wisdom is the treasure we seek in our times of darkness.
One aspect of wisdom is learning our weakness before God. “For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.” (1 Corinthians 1:25, NIV84) It not learning about our weaknesses or even acknowledging that we are weak. It is coming to a place before God where we stand and know that there is absolutely nothing in us that is able to stand before God. It is realizing that if we are ever to walk in God’s plans, it will only be because God enables us to.
There is a purpose of God in allowing us to experience difficult seasons. “He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” (1 Corinthians 1:28–29, NIV84) And when we realize, truly know in ourselves that there is nothing but God that can cause us to stand, we learn God’s wisdom. “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.” (1 Corinthians 1:30, NIV84)
Christ has become for us wisdom. That word speaks of the capacity to understand and to act wisely. We know that Jesus grew in wisdom before he fulfilled the destiny of God. “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” (Luke 2:52, NIV84) We should expect that there will be a season in our lives, where we too will spend time isolated, learning and growing in wisdom. This wisdom carries with it authority and power. “When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles!” (Mark 6:2, NIV84) We should expect that as we learn and embrace the wisdom of God, we are growing in authority and power also.
The amount of wisdom in our lives may be evidenced by power and authority when others look at us. However, God measures wisdom by righteousness, holiness and redemption. “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.” (1 Corinthians 1:30, NIV84) The purpose of the pit is for us to learn these treasures.
Righteousness is doing what God requires, doing what is right. The darkness is preparation for righteous ministry. Jesus demonstrated this ministry. “For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it.” (John 12:49, NIV84) We learn righteousness when we are removed from our own strength being able to accomplish anything. We learn a righteous dependence upon the strength of God to do anything. “Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” (John 5:19, NIV84)
Holiness speaks of sanctification. It is a consecration and dedication to God that is all consuming and all encompassing. It is coming to a place where we serve God with all our heart and what we do; we do because we love God with all our heart. It is the place where we learn to offer all that we are to God to be used by God anyway that God desires. ” Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness[…] But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.” (Romans 6:19–22, NIV84) In the darkness and in the aloneness when everything is stripped away, we learn that the only thing worth doing is what God wants with His power working in us.
Redemption speaks of the process of freeing a slave. It is freedom, deliverance and liberation. When we stand in the darkness alone with God, we learn deep within us, that our freedom comes from God alone. It is only when we truly experience the freedom God brings, that we become empowered to bring it to others. Learning the power of redemption in the pit of darkness is treasures we need if are ever to truly be empowered to help others. “”The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,” (Luke 4:18, NIV84)
As we embrace these treasures in our season of darkness, we find ourselves becoming transformed into light. “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.” (2 Corinthians 3:17–4:1, NIV84)
The darkness indeed has many treasures.
Dark Night of the Soul
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