“Beloved, never try to get out of a dark place except in God’s timing and in his way. A time of trouble and darkness is meant to teach you lessons you desperately need. Premature deliverance may circumvent God’s work of grace in your life. Commit the entire situation to him, and be willing to abide in darkness, knowing he is present. Remember, it is better to walk in the dark with God than to walk alone in the light.”
– L.B. Cowman, Streams in the Desert
“God of our life,
there are days when the burdens we carry chafe our shoulders and weigh us down,
when the road seems dreary and endless,
the skies gray and threatening,
when our lives have no music in them,
and our hearts are lonely,
and our souls have lost courage.
Flood the path with light,
turn our eyes to where the skies are full of promise,
tune our hearts to brave music,
give us the sense of comradeship with heroes and saints of every age,
and so quicken our spirits that we may be able to encourage the souls of all who journey with us on the road of life,
to your honor and glory, we pray. Amen.”
-St. Augustine (354-430)
“Light is always costly and comes at the expense of that which produces it. An unlit candle does not shine, for burning must come before the light. And we can be of little use to others without a cost to ourselves. Burning suggests suffering, and we try to avoid pain.
We tend to feel we are doing the greatest good in the world when we are strong and fit for active duty and when our hearts and hands are busy with kind acts of service. Therefore when we are set aside to suffer, when we are sick, when we are consumed with pain, and when all our activities have stopped, we feel we are no longer of any use and are accomplishing nothing.
Yet if we will be patient and submissive, it is almost certain we will be a greater blessing to the world around us during our time of suffering and pain than we were when we thought we were doing our greatest work. Then we are burning, and shining brightly as a result of the fire.
Many people want the glory without the cross, and the shining light without the burning fire, but crucifixion comes before coronation.”
-L. B. Cowman, Streams in the Desert
“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; on those who live in a land of deep shadow a light has shone.”
– Isaiah 9:1
Rachel Stanton 