I give you treasures hidden in the darkness,

and riches hidden in secret places,

that you may know that I am the Lord,

who calls you by name,

The God of Israel.

Isaiah 45, 3

 

We are in the middle of November. It gets dark early in the afternoons, and it's often dark when we get up. At least here in the north. The sun rises late and sets early.

These weeks before the Christmas lights fill the streets can feel a little dark and gloomy. In recent weeks, however, large parts of the country have experienced the Northern Lights several times.

In the north, we've also seen some beautiful sunrises and sunsets lately. It's amazing to watch the sun color the sky again and again in the autumn darkness.

The prophet Isaiah tells us that God has some treasures for us in the darkness. Treasures we will never experience if we don't have to spend time in darkness from time to time. They are hidden from us until we discover them in the darkness. It is only there that we find the treasures.

This is also how the Northern Lights are hidden from us in broad daylight. We need the dark evenings to experience the beauty the sky has to offer. The sun has to set for us to see the beautiful colors after it. But darkness is not quite so dark when we get to experience such light shows as the northern lights and sunsets can be.

Sometimes our paths are a little dark. Life is challenging in different ways.

Sometimes darkness can be fine, other times it's creepy to be outside when it's dark. Sometimes we can be a little afraid of the dark. But life has taught me that what Isaiah says is true: the richest lessons, the deepest experiences, lie in having walked the dark paths.

The darkness of life is not quite so dark when we discover the treasures God has for us there. Then the time in the darkness can actually make some sense.

And the treasures God gives you when you are in dark places in life, you can later share with others. But imagine if you never visited the darkness, there's a lot you'd miss out on.

God is good. He loves us and he takes care of us. In the midst of life as it is. It doesn't matter if it's sunshine or darkness, He is there. And if life right now is a little dark: look for, look for, the treasures God has for you where you are.

- Ingfrid Mundal, Bodø 23/11-23

"The darkness of life is not quite so dark when we discover the treasures God has for us there."