This is what the LORD says: “Just as I have brought all these calamities on them, so I will do all the good I have promised them.” Jeremiah 32:42 (NLT)

Post tenebras lux-this is latin for “after darkness, light”. I don’t remember where I read this but when I did, it just kinda spoke to my heart. I wrote it in my Bible, probably a year ago or more. And from time to time, I would see it as I opened it up to read. This morning, as I enter into this new season of what looks like darkness and feels like a dry, barren wilderness, God reminded me of that phrase.

If you open up your Bible to Genesis, God’s word begins with “In the beginning God created.” What did He create? Well, everything of course. But have you ever noticed what verse 2 says? “The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters.” Before God completed His creation, it was darkness. Only because of God, after that darkness, there was light.

As you read through the Old Testament, we see the people in the Bible stuck in spiritual darkness. They were waiting and watching, longing for the Messiah. And at just the right time, God sent His Son to be the Light of the World. Today for those of us who put our faith in Jesus Christ, God pulls us out of our spiritual darkness and into His glorious light. Over and over we see, what begins as something dark, scary and lonely, by the grace of God, results in something beautiful and amazing.

I have taken this phrase along with some verses from Jeremiah and applied to my current situation. Let me tell you where I’m at. I’ve been at the same job for about 8 1/2-9 years. I work from home. I enjoy what I do. I like the team of people I work with. This job has been comfortable and convenient. Last Friday, at the end of the day, human resources called and informed me that I was terminated, effective immediately. Upper management had made the decision to cut our department and go in a different direction. My mind raced and questions began to flood my thoughts. What am I gonna do? Where do I go from here? How will I make it? All weekend I have repeated to myself that my God will provide. That has been my comfort, my solace. I can’t say there isn’t fear and anxiety because I’m human. But when the world might look and say it’s hopeless, I know that’s not true. I have hope. A hope far greater than anything this world offers.

God never promised life without pain. He didn’t say “Be saved and avoid the struggles. Come to me and life will be easy.” Jesus tells us something very different in the New Testament. He says “In this world you will have trouble.” (John 16:33) I think sometimes God leads us into the wilderness, the darkness, because it is when all the things of this world have fallen away, that we realize He is all we need. It’s in those moments when Satan tries to make you feel alone and forgotten, that you can look around and see that God is right with you, right where He promised He would always be. God took the Israelites through the wilderness for 40 years before they reached the Promise Land! But even in the middle of the wilderness, God says, “You will find blessings even in the barren land.” (Jeremiah 31:2) The blessings may not look like what we expect, but they are there. Maybe it’s a little time to rest before a new chapter begins. Time to spend with family, when there was no time. A chance to consider other employment options. Opportunities to praise, not just for what you’ve been given, but because of the assurance that better days are coming. The praise may be different because this praise is harder. But praise anyway.

So as I walk this dark, barren road through the wilderness, I am straining to see the good that He has promised. I am eagerly waiting for that moment when “my mourning will be turned into joy and my sorrow into rejoicing”. (Jeremiah 31:13) As I wait, I know that after this darkness, there will be light. I know that sometimes, God has to lead us through the wilderness to get to the well-watered, flourishing garden. I am expecting days when I don’t think I can go on. Days when each step feels like such a burden. But I know that on those days, My God will carry me. He will never leave me, nor forsake me. So today, God, I want my praise to be heard. Not because of what you can give me but because of who you are. My Savior, my Friend, my Comforter, my Provider, my Heavenly Father. You are my Living Hope. Praise, honor and glory be to your Name.

“For I am with you and I will save you,” says the LORD. (Jeremiah 30:11)