The Dark Things of Life

“He discovereth deep things out of darkness and bringeth out to light the shadow of death” — Job xii. 22.

The things which give us most evidence of God are just the dark things of life; this was the experience of the man who, of all others, knew most of life’s dark things. And what Job learned by his sorrow we are all learning — that the cross is our crown, that the rejected stone is the head of the corner. Thou art seeking light on the life beyond the grave — light that shall dispel the gloom of death and turn back its shadow. But it does not occur to thee that the shadow of death is itself to be the light that thou seekest. “He brino-eth out to light the shadow of death,” says Job, — causes illumination to come from the very source which threatened to shut it out for ever. It is from thy vision of death that there comes to thee the clearest sight thou hast of immortality. Hast thou not seen how often at the evening time there has been light? Hast thou not marked how, when the outer man was perishing, the inner was renewing day by day? Hast thou not beheld how, when flesh and heart fainted and failed, when the silver cord was being loosed and the golden bowl was nearly broken, the eye of faith grew preternaturally bright, and the heart of love preternaturally strong? And in that preternatural brightness thou didst learn that earth was not all, that there was something which could still live, yea, which could vividly live even when the old nature had been overshadowed. It was out of the shadow that thy hope came, it was death that revealed the power of a higher life.

My soul, do not despise the shadows of life. Do not say that they are exceptions to the proof of Divine Intelligence; do not exclaim when they are passing over thee that thy way is hid from the Lord. These shadows are sent to thee, not as hidings, but as revelations of the face of God; they come to thee as messengers of light. They tell thee what thou couldst not know without them — that there is a life stronger than the natural life. How couldst thou learn that, if the natural life never failed thee? How could faith begin if sight were perfect? How could trust exist if there were no darkness? It is the darkness that lights thee, it is from the shadows that thy spiritual nature is illuminated. From the sense of human emptiness thou reachest that prophetic hunger which is certain to be filled; 16S MOMENTS OX THE MOUNT.

thy life rises, phoenix-like, from the ashes of thy dying, and out of thy deepest darkness God says, “Let there be light.”