Praying in the Dark

Who among you fears the LORD
and obeys the word of his servant?
Let him who walks in the dark,
who has no light,
trust in the name of the LORD
and rely on his God.
Isaiah 50:10, NIV*

The past few weeks have weighed a bit heavily on me. Prayers, alone and in groups, dwell on a mountain of needs: sickness, death, emotional suffering.

In one of my prayer groups, a member spoke of having a hard time “seeing God’s plan” in a heartbreaking need. Not that God caused the problem, but why isn’t He intervening with the miracle we’re praying to see?

I thought of this on Good Friday. Nobody could see God’s plan when it included Jesus dying on the Cross.

But He had a plan.

And it shook the universe.

If we know God’s character, we know we can trust Him. Even when He’s silent and everything is going all wrong.

So I choose to keep bringing the sick and wounded to Him, bringing my lack of vision too.

Father, prayer isn’t meant to dwell on the problems, but to dwell on You. Forgive us when we get it wrong. Thank You that we can bring these needs to You. Help us find our rest in who You are, in Your character and Your promises. When we can’t see Your plan, let us see You – caring, moving, sustaining.

To focus us on God, this week’s song is Chris Tomlin‘s “You Do All Things Well“.

*New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

6 thoughts on “Praying in the Dark

  1. Sheila Davidson

    Good Morning, Joanna,
    And Good Word, too. 🙂
    I suppose perseverence is only perseverence when we have to determine to keep at something, even without a ‘light at the end of the tunnel’. But what wonders are promised us when we do.
    I continue to be amazed that when we pray, we pray WITH Jesus – He’s praying WITH us. (The thought behind my song “Toward the Overflowing”.)
    God does and will bless you and your prayer pals. Thank you for your writings!
    love,
    – Sheila 🙂

    Reply
  2. spiritfilledcanada

    Hi
    I feel your longing in this post. I know what you mean. But, I like how you look to His Word to find others who have felt this way. God is with us – we are not alone.

    We do press on – in trust and without fear – knowing that He cares for us, has a plan and walks beside us.

    Thank you for being our prayer leader for TWG. Thank you for listening to Him, and trusting Him.

    We will pray on.

    love
    Jan

    Reply
  3. Belinda

    Joanna, I think of Jesus’s words to his disciples, after his resurrection, John 20:29, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who haven’t seen me and believe anyway.”

    While some things seem so confusing and inexplicable, there is a victory and joy in choosing trust in the Trustworty One.

    Reply
  4. joannamallory

    Sheila, Jan, Belinda… all three of you know a lot about perseverance in prayer.

    Sheila, I’ll pop your CD back in the player and let you minister to me again.

    And thanks for the reminder that when we pray, we’re praying with Jesus. I was reminded last week that He’s always interceding for us, so when we come to prayer we’re joining an existing conversation….

    Jan, we pray on indeed, because we know Him to whom we pray. And we know we’re not alone.

    Belinda, I love that name for God: Trustworthy One. Because of that, we pray.

    May we see Him in our days, guiding, sustaining, equipping and loving us. And may others see Him in us.

    Reply
  5. Sheila Davidson

    “May we see Him in our days, guiding, sustaining, equipping and loving us. And may others see Him in us.”

    Amen – may it be so!! 🙂

    Yesterday I was praying for my kids’ futures and thought – what prayer would focus on today, and this came to mind:

    Full filled by You right now – “FF Byrn”

    I’ll be chewing on this for awhile …

    Happy Day, Joanna!

    Reply
  6. God's girl

    Thanks for your post. It speaks a lot to what I’ve been going through too. Thanks for your encouragement. I love that verse you quoted.

    Let him who walks in the dark,
    who has no light,
    trust in the name of the LORD…

    Amen, God help me to trust You.

    Reply

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