Sometimes God puts us through the experience and discipline of darkness to teach us to hear and obey Him. Song birds are taught to sing in the dark, and God puts us into “the shadow of His hand” until we learn to hear Him (Isaiah 49:2). “Whatever I tell you in the dark. . .”— pay attention when God puts you into darkness, and keep your mouth closed while you are there. Are you in the dark right now in your circumstances, or in your life with God? If so, then remain quiet. If you open your mouth in the dark, you will speak while in the wrong mood— darkness is the time to listen. Don’t talk to other people about it; don’t read books to find out the reason for the darkness; just listen and obey. If you talk to other people, you cannot hear what God is saying. When you are in the dark, listen, and God will give you a very precious message for someone else once you are back in the light.After every time of darkness, we should experience a mixture of delight and humiliation. If there is only delight, I question whether we have really heard God at all. We should experience delight for having heard God speak, but mostly humiliation for having taken so long to hear Him! Then we will exclaim, “How slow I have been to listen and understand what God has been telling me!” And yet God has been saying it for days and even weeks. But once you hear Him, He gives you the gift of humiliation, which brings a softness of heart— a gift that will always cause you to listen to God now. 

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February 14, 2014-JDV

Lord, sometimes when I read Oswald Chambers I am taken aback by his propensity to serve up portions of guilt like he does here when he tells us we need to feel humiliation.   I recall these messages in church a long time ago, and perhaps it was the way of the church at that time. But You have been teaching us something different over the last months and years. You have been teaching us daily connection, grace and peace.

And God says…”Yes I have been teaching connection, grace and peace.  And the Holy Spirit has been communicating the love I have for you.  There is no room in our relationship for humiliation, guilt, and or shame. I gave Jesus as the ultimate sacrificial gift so that I do not ever see you in a way  that would require guilt or shame. The Holy Spirit will and does provide the conviction you may need for guidance and direction, but there is no room in our relationship for guilt, shame or humiliation.  Once you come to repentance and believe that Jesus took away your sins, (past, present and future), I can only see Jesus when I look at you. Believe that Jesus paid the complete and entire price to redeem you; you do not need to add humiliation, shame or guilt. Simply reach out with your belief, trust and love. Be connected to Jesus and let Him lead you. This is all you need for this and every day.”