The ministry of darkness

There are times in the life of a faithful believer when your life is unfolding as planned,  when God readily answers your prayers, when ecstatic mount- of- transfiguration experiences inspire your faith and when the light of God’s guidance shines clearly and you can see the next step.
But all of a sudden things change abruptly. A cloud of uncertainty descends on you and God seems to hide His face from you. He suspends His conscious presence and blessings. Yes, times when the outlook is dark and uncertainty is the order of the day. To your knowledge and belief you have not sinned against God, so your darkness cannot possibly be that of sin.
You know you have been faithfully walking with God but suddenly, He has turned out the light and all your external circumstances turned sour.
Your normal reaction in such times is to make frantic efforts to get back to close fellowship with God but the heavens above seem to be brass , and the earth below to be iron, friends bid you goodbye and your finances become hot money, leaving you in flight and vowing never to return. You ask many unanswered questions: why this darkness? God, where did I miss you? Or you curse the day of your birth like Job.
Well, do not panic. Maintain your bearings. You have just entered a new zone of ministry. Welcome sir or madam to the ministry of darkness.
When you got saved, the evangelist told you all shall be well with you, all the blessings of
God will be yours and the goodness and mercy of the Lord will follow you all the days of your life. But this darkness seems to contradict His promises as the assurances of yesterday are now being replaced by uncertainties of tomorrow.
Was the evangelist lying? No, he was not. He promised you Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey and he did not mention the red sea and the wilderness wanderings because he knew that teachers and pastors would take care of those dark times.
Now relax, we will walk you through your darkness. We have all been there. Job has been there. Moses has been there. David has been there. Jesus went through it crying, “My Lord, My Lord why have you forsaken me.”
Having successfully gone through it, Apostle Peter comforts us, “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy” (1 Peter 4:12,13).
The major prophet Isaiah shows in the opening verse above that the ministry of darkness will come even to those who fear God and obey their church leaders.
When this darkness settles in, the path ahead becomes unclear.  We begin to doubt the truth that has been a lamp unto our feet. We begin to even doubt not only the goodness but also the existence of God.
We become fearful of the next step and our natural tendency is to find our own way of escape. Isaiah highlights to us in verse 11 what we should not do in our quest for light:
“Behold, all ye that kindled a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks that you have kindled. This shall you have of mine hand you shall lie down in sorrow.”
What is God saying here? He is simply saying in essence:
“I am the One who brought this darkness so do not try to escape from it by lighting your own fire because it will end in misery.” 
If God does not want you to escape the ministry of darkness by your means, then what does He want you to do in the time of darkness?
Check for the answer in the next article.
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