We often speak of times of hardship in terms of darkness. Trials seem to snuff out the light of life around us, plunging our souls into what feels like inky night. During days of difficulty, warmth is often replaced with coldness, joy with sorrow, light with dark. And when the darkness of trials envelops us, it is easy to lose sight of truth. As we grope about in the midst of pain, it sometimes feels as though God is far away and hidden from us. If we aren’t careful, pain can cloud our view of God as we grapple with the difficulties he has allowed in our path. The hymn writer speaks of this in the second stanza of The Solid Rock and suggests the remedy during days of darkness.

When darkness seems to hide His face
I rest on His unchanging grace
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil

In order to make it through the days of darkness, we must rest in what we know to be true of God. We must seek the truth of who he is through the Word that he has revealed to us. God is not hidden in days of hardship. He is closer than you think. Psalm 143 provides help and encouragement for the soul that finds itself consumed with darkness.

1 Hear my prayer, O Lord;
give ear to my pleas for mercy!
In your faithfulness answer me, in your righteousness!
2 Enter not into judgment with your servant,
for no one living is righteous before you.
3 For the enemy has pursued my soul;
he has crushed my life to the ground;
he has made me sit in darkness like those long dead.
4 Therefore my spirit faints within me;
my heart within me is appalled.
5 I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all that you have done;
I ponder the work of your hands.
6 I stretch out my hands to you;
my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah
7 Answer me quickly, O Lord!
My spirit fails!
Hide not your face from me,
lest I be like those who go down to the pit.
8 Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
for in you I trust.
Make me know the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.
9 Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord!
I have fled to you for refuge.
10 Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God!
Let your good Spirit lead me
on level ground!
11 For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life!
In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble!
12 And in your steadfast love you will cut off my enemies,
and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul,
for I am your servant.

Cry Out to God

David’s response to his distressing circumstances is to cry out to God. He lifts up his voice from an agony of affliction and begs God to hear him. He asks God to look upon him with mercy. In the midst of his troubles and difficulties, he appeals to the grace of God. He cries out to God on the basis of God’s character. Because he understands that God is faithful and righteous, he asks God to hear him. We cry out to God on the basis of who he is and what he does. Even when we find ourselves surrounded by trouble, we must faithfully preach the truth to ourselves. Don’t allow the darkness to blind you to the truth of who God is. He is full of mercy and bends his ear toward the cries of his children. He is faithful and righteous, and he acts toward his people according to his character.

David asks God to deal with him in mercy rather than in judgment. He recognizes that no one can perfectly keep God’s way, so he appeals to God’s mercy. This request points forward to the grace of Christ that is to come. Since no one can be justified by the works of the Law, we are in desperate need of a Savior (Romans 3:20). We can cry out to God knowing that he is gracious and merciful to us, and that he has reached down to us with unmerited favor by bestowing Christ’s righteousness upon us. So in your trouble, remember God’s mercy. Remember that he deals with you in kindness. Remember that he is faithful to all of his promises. Remember that he has given you all of Christ’s righteousness.

Troubles Will Come

David is brutally honest with God about the troubles he is facing and about how his soul is drooping underneath the weight of human anguish. His enemies have pursued him long and hard, and he is worn out from running. Throughout his life, David’s life was placed in danger on many occasions as others actively sought to kill him. He literally dwelled in darkness as he sought refuge in the caves of the wilderness. His situation is dire indeed, and his soul is weary. His spirit is fainting from the weight of sustained trials. He speaks of his heart as a desolate place. The trials he is experiencing have weighed down his soul and laid waste to his heart.

David does not hold back when speaking to God, but openly tells him all of his troubles. He is honest with God about the state of his heart and soul. God does not expect us to come to him with our lives put together and words that are beautiful. Instead, God invites us to come to him with the reality of our lives and the struggles of our pain. Jesus, our true and faithful High Priest, sets the example for us in prayer. Hebrews 5:7 speaks of Jesus’ prayers in this way: “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.” Jesus, the Word made flesh, prayed with loud cries and tears. He was not emotionally stingy, but poured out his heart to his Father. How might our lives look different if we approached the Father honestly with loud cries and tears? When times of trouble come upon us, we can be honest with God about our feelings. We can tell him when we are laid low. We can tell him when the darkness has so crept into our lives that our spirits faint and our hearts are desolate.

Remember What God Has Done

David does not allow himself to dwell in the desolation of his heart. Instead of allowing his emotions to rule him, he turns his mind to the truth. It is appropriate to tell God the depths of our feelings, but we must also renew our minds in truth. David understands that whatever was written in God’s Word is for his learning, so he meditates on the truth of the Scriptures (Romans 15:4). The theme of remembering is a thread that can be traced throughout all the pages of Scripture. We are told to remember because we are prone to forget. In times of difficulty, I often find myself dwelling on everything that is wrong and hard rather than remembering the many blessings of God. Remembering what God has done in the past fills us with hope in the present and removes fear of the future. So in the midst of hardship, remember the mighty works of God. It might be helpful to journal through ways that God has been faithful to you in the past. Think of ways that he has met you in your darkness and seen you through. Write down promises of God and think about what God says and who God is. Psalm 103 and Ephesians 1 are wonderful places to start as they recount the rich spiritual blessings that we possess. Discipline your mind in truth. Remember. Meditate. Ponder. Make a conscious choice to train your mind in truth rather than to be consumed by the darkness that surrounds you.

David stretches out his hands to God in prayer. He reaches up to the only One who can uphold and sustain his soul. Reach out to God knowing that his strong right hand of power firmly grasps your feeble hands of flesh. Stretch out your hands to him knowing that he will faithfully gather you into his bosom and carry you in his arms.

Turn to God

David again cries out for God to answer. He is honest with God that he is growing weary. He desires for God to act and intervene on his behalf. David asks God to reveal himself to him and not be hidden. In the midst of darkness, we must seek God’s presence. We must desire his nearness. It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that God is far off or hiding from us when we walk through difficult days. But he has promised to always be with his children, and he will never leave you or forsake you.

David also understands that the night will not last forever. He speaks of hearing of God’s love in the morning. The light of God’s love will shine in our hearts like the rising of the dawning sun. Darkness and hardship are only for a season, but God’s steadfast love is forever. We can trust God in the night because we understand that his love will never let us go. So in the midst of your darkness, look to the unfailing and forever love of God.

We can also look to God for direction in days of trouble. It is the Lord who sustains our souls and leads us in the right path. Even during the dark days, we should seek to walk in obedience. Our hearts should seek the truth because we desire to please God. We must come to God in full honestly that we are inclined to stumble and therefore need him to level the paths beneath our feet. We must seek the help of his Spirit knowing that we are weak and cannot walk this path alone. Our hearts must seek him because we need him to show us the right way and guide us in the proper paths.

God Will Preserve You

In the high and stormy gales of life, our anchor holds because we know that it is the Lord who preserves us. God preserves us and offers us life because of who he is, not because of what we have done. God offers us salvation for the sake of his great name as he reaches down to grant us life. David is confident that God will deliver him because God has reached down and made a covenant with him. God does not abandon his covenant promises, but keeps them to the end. We also can appeal to God knowing that he has delivered us from the peril of sin through Christ and that he will deliver us again. Christ has crushed the head of our great enemy and has defeated death. He will have the final victory, both in this life and in the life to come. So cast yourself fully on the mercy of our great God who reaches down to you in steadfast love.

My Anchor Holds

In dark and stormy days, our anchor holds because we rest secure in the unchanging grace of God. His favor toward you does not change though the winds howl and the waves billow around you. God’s character remains fixed, firm, and constant. It is in his unchanging character that we find a firm place for our anchor to hold. We can find true rest for our souls in the grace of his promise toward us, the assurance of his favor bestowed upon us, the promise that he will preserve us, and the hope of future glory yet to come.

Your darkness will not last forever. As you walk through the days of darkness, remember that God is not hidden from you. He has revealed himself to you through his good Word. Rest in the grace that is abundantly yours through Christ. In the midst of the storm, hold fast to the promise that he will preserve your life. Pour out your heart to God. Be honest with him about the depths of your struggles. Discipline your mind in truth and continue crying out to this great God who is mighty to save. He will hear and answer you in your distress.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

1. What darkness are you facing in your life right now? What darkness have you faced in the past?
2. What does your prayer life look like during days of hardship? Are you dialoguing with God about your troubles and emotions?
3. Why is it so easy to fall into the trap of feeling like God is hiding during days of difficulty? How can you discipline your mind in truth instead?
4. How has God been faithful to you in the past? How does knowing he has been faithful before provide hope for the future?