Earlier this year my life became
dark and confused as I was overwhelmed with grief. I remember holding tight to God, to His word,
and to my faith. It was during this time
that I came across these verses in the book of Daniel.
“Blessed be the
name of God forever and ever,
to whom belong wisdom and might.
He changes times and seasons;
he removes kings and sets up kings;
he gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to those who have understanding;
he reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what is in the darkness,
and the light dwells with him.”
to whom belong wisdom and might.
He changes times and seasons;
he removes kings and sets up kings;
he gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to those who have understanding;
he reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what is in the darkness,
and the light dwells with him.”
(Daniel 2:20-22, ESV)
Something about this passage
struck me so deeply that I copied these verses and pinned them to the wall
above my desk. That phrase – He changes
times and seasons – has come to mind many times during this year. There are simple truths in this passage that
are easily overlooked, especially when life gets confusing.
He changes times
and seasons
God changes things. Change is what He does. He changes times and seasons. During our lifetime
we go through many different seasons – a season of childhood, a season of study,
a season of parenting, a season of marriage.
Most seasons of life flow seamlessly into the next. Death brings an abrupt change. There was no gently easing into a season of
widowhood. It happened suddenly. Trusting that God is still in control of
changing times and seasons brings comfort.
He gives wisdom
to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding
God gives us information
according to our ability to comprehend.
At times of great change, there is a tendency to turn to God and ask
WHY?? We search for answers to help us
make sense of the unsensible events in life.
Often there are no easy answers to be found. God’s ways are so very different from our
human ways. God does work to help us
understand as we are capable. This takes
time and prayer. We have to let go of
our expectations and thoughts and find understanding by noticing how God is
working through the change. This kind of
faith brings peace.
He knows what is
in the darkness, and the light dwells with him
God knows about the darkness. He knows there can be great sadness and loneliness. He knows that life can seem hopeless. He knows about the giant waves of grief and
the tears and the heartache. He
knows. It is okay to go to Him with
this. For, even as on the darkest,
stormiest day, the sun still shines above the clouds, so there is a light always
with us in the darkness. God’s light
sustains us through the dark days and brings us closer to Him.
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