Comment from a reader on this article:  “Embracing the Darkness” is a Mercy Season classic, a primer for all who expect to survive the coming times and rise to victory in realizing their full birthright and inheritance in bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to earth.”  BC, Idaho.

In my last post, I shared that there had been a significant seasonal change here at PITFH.  Almost daily since that post, we have experienced the blessings of a new season after coming out of a yearlong season of darkness.

Father revealed many things during that season of darkness for which we are very grateful.  Most Christians dread the dark season or sometimes called the dark night of the soul. It’s important to note here that this darkness is not brought by satan, rather it is a time that God ordains in our lives. We have experienced many seasons of this kind.  In our later years we are beginning to see the blessings of celebrating these dark seasons.  Here are some things that have impacted us.

1)     We always grow in the dark night if we let Him have His way.  It is when Father is teaching us to lean only on Him, pressing into His face and His faithfulness even when He is silent and nothing seems to be moving or happening around us; when there is no one else to share your thoughts, your trials and your broken heart with.  In that time of being only alone with Him, it is often Him drawing us only to Himself.  What an honor!

2)     We have learned by watching others who have experienced the dark season, that often those who have the greatest devotion may have the greatest darkness.  The great examples of men and women we have in the Word are ones that have experienced very dark night seasons.

3)     The true test of character is often born in the dark.  It is a time when our character and integrity will be tested – the time when no one sees what you say or do except Father, Himself.

4)     Some things are seen in the dark that cannot be seen in the light.  Father didn’t design life to always be done in the light or on the mountain top.   Most often the best of life’s lessons are learned in the valley of weeping – the Valley of Baca.

5)     When it gets dark, don’t try and light your own fire!  How often we have tried to ‘make something happen’ to get us out of the valley of darkness.   Doing that only proves that we are relying on our own performance abilities to make a way to escape the dark season instead of embracing it!  The greatest need we have in the dark season is learning how to ‘celebrate’ it; to relax and let the season birth something new and great in us.

6)     Most importantly, we must fully understand that if your sun has set, it WILL rise again.  Just as the seasons in nature around us come and go, so it is with spiritual seasons.  They come and they always go.  From October 2011 until September 2012 we experienced a year of the dark night season, but when the season changed we have experienced daily miracles and confirmations.  We see with different eyes and we are hearing with different ears.  We are now operating from a higher plateau than before and from that new place Father is speaking marvelous things to our hearts that we would have missed had we not gone through the previous season.  Remember, you cannot have light without dark nor dark without light!

One of my all-time favorite scriptures is Isaiah 60:1-3:

“Arise [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you – rise to a new life!] Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! 2) For behold, darkness shall cover the earth and dense darkness [all] peoples, but the Lord shall arise upon you and His glory shall be seen on you.  3) And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.”

Darkness IS going to come to all of us at one time or another.  What we do with that darkness is the key.  Will we resist it and try to change it or will we embrace it knowing that surely the light will come and when it does others will be drawn to that light.  When we learn to embrace and celebrate the dark times, Father blesses us with His light and His glory.  By looking, seeing, and walking differently on the new plateau when the light has come, others will see His glory radiating from us and be drawn to it!   How marvelous is that?