Trusting God in the Dark

I had a bad feeling about it.  

My wife left a note for me to call someone as soon as possible. With a halting mix of fear and hope, I dialed the number. Tragically, my fears were confirmed. The voice on the other end shared news so devastating, I was speechless.

Sooner or later, life is going to disappoint us – deeply. Someone or something we have counted on will suddenly fail, leave, or be taken from us. And we won’t be able to get it back.

Finding Peace

How do we find peace when a dream shatters into a thousand irretrievable pieces? In my last post, I shared the first step: give ourselves time to feel the disappointment and pray it.

The news may be so bad, we go from shock to denial. We don’t want to believe it’s true, because it will hurt too much to believe that. So, we just try not to feel anything. But that keeps us frozen in a dark place.

The journey toward healing begins with taking time to feel the full extent of the loss and then taking those feelings to God.

In The Dark

The next step is to trust God in the dark.

Before you got the news, God knew it.  Before you shed your first tear, God had already shed a tear for you. Scripture says,

Many are the plans in a human heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.   

Proverbs 19:21 (NIV)

One of the most painful things about a broken dream is we lose our plans. What we thought our life was going to look like goes up in smoke.

Some may not be able to hear this right now, the brokenness is too fresh, but God has a purpose for this painful time. Although God doesn’t inflict painful situations on us, God doesn’t waste them.

A Test

What you are going through right now may be the biggest test of your life. But it’s not like school. It’s not about what you know. It’s about who you are. It is a test of your character.

Suffering from a loss has the potential to weed out the false gods in our lives. Those things we may have trusted instead of the one, true God. Your looks, your intellect, your personality, your family, your money, your connections – none of those things can repair this dream. God knows you’ve tried, but you can’t fix it.

You may have prayed a hundred times, “God, take this painful circumstance away from me!” And certainly, God could. But God may choose not to.

“Why not?!” we rightfully ask. In short, because God loves us too much.

Lessons in Love

Not long ago, I had a broken dream of my own, and I didn’t know where to turn. As I described it, a wise mentor said,

“Roger, I wish I could keep you from this experience of darkness and suffering, but I can’t, and I shouldn’t. There are some things we can only learn in the dark. Precious lessons in love. The Lord has allowed you to be in this dark space only to let you know in unprecedented ways how much God loves you.”

I confess. In the moment, it didn’t feel that way. But it does now.

The same is true for you. The deep disappointment, the suffering from a broken dream, is a tender place where God can show God’s personal love for you on a much deeper level.

Trust in God

You’re not alone. God has not forsaken you. It’s just the opposite. The Psalmist says,

The Lord is close to the broken hearted, and he saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 34:18 (NIV)

No matter how dark it may seem, hold fast to this promise, the Lord’s purpose will prevail.

Trust in God, even in the darkest place, and let God show you just how deeply loved you are.

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