Not all darkness is the same. In a simple sense, darkness is nighttime (no sunlight). And to a dangerous extreme, darkness is evil. The topic of darkness presented in this article is not about evil; rather it’s about a light-less sensation people can experience during certain seasons of their lives. It can be described as having a dark fog hanging above you as you try to accomplish your daily tasks, or like dark waves washing over you unexpectedly throughout your day. Or others say it’s as if a dark, heavy blanket is draped over you all the time, or they may explain it as the days are dark and dreary no matter how bright the sun is shining outside. While the descriptions, symptoms, and causes may vary, the challenges are similar when traveling through this kind of dark season.

Biblical Experiences Of Feeling Darkness

• When Joseph was pleading to his brothers for release out of the dark pit, he experienced an “anguish of spirit” (Gen. 42:21)
• The 9th Plague was a “darkness that could even be felt” (Ex. 10:21)
• Job describes a depression so bleak that “even the light is like darkness.” (Job 10:22b)
• Of his enemies, David expressed they “crushed my life to the ground…made me dwell in darkness” (Ps. 143:3)

Stories of His Presence During Absence Of Light

• When “a great darkness fell on Abram” the physical presence of God came as a smoking oven and burning torch (Gen. 15:12)
• When “thick darkness” surrounded Moses on the mountain of Sinai, there also came His loud voice (Deut. 4:11, 5:22-23)
• When David was in the “waves of death” God initially inflated darkness in the form of “dark canopies, dark waters, and thick clouds” but at the same time, “brightness was before Him” and He “enlightened David’s darkness.” (2 Sam. 22:10-13, 29)
• Prophet Micah proclaimed “when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.” (Micah 7:8b)
• Jesus came to earth to “give light to those who sit in darkness.” (Lk. 1:79)
• The Lord’s “light arises in darkness” and that is where you will find Him to be “gracious, and full of compassion…” (Ps. 112:4b)

Promise For Today Of His Presence In Darkness

• Expect that some believers are guaranteed to have times of darkness; while also guaranteed to have His presence in it.
• Begin looking for His Presence right in the middle of your darkness. You can do this first through prayer that uses Scripture for its language. You may want to first connect with the Bible’s words of gloom, and then end on its words of light. You can also look for the ways He is providing comfort and strength to you to get through this hard time.
• Do your own search in the Word for the emphasis of God’s Presence.
• Aim to more accurately know His character and how He operates, so you can recognize the way He works in darkness.
• Praise Him for the promise and power of His Presence, even before you sense it. Eventually you can be amazed at what He does in the darkest of days.
• Consider what benefits, blessings, and growth He is working in you especially when you’re covered in darkness.
• To use an additional resource on the power of God’s Presence, click here for a related book review article.
• Even if you have to strain your eyes to do it, look out of your dark space towards the ones shining His light, or where another brother or sister also in darkness needs you to come carrying His presence.
• If your depression (or the depression of a loved one) feels too heavy to begin doing this work, another believer can usher God’s Presence into the room and walk alongside you. Acknowledge and communicate your symptoms to someone who feels safe; and then please receive their help.
• Even if you choose to stay in the darkness for a time – because you have good reasons to feel sad – always keep yourself positioned towards the light. The goal is to protect yourself from staying in the dark too long before you get too close to the evil side of it. Yes, He’s with you in the darkness, and yes, He’s also your Bright and Morning Star calling you to come.

“He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness. And light dwells with Him.” (Dan. 2:22)