Out of the darkness

You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (1Peter 2:9 NIV)

 I was thinking how wonderful it will be when earth’s shadows flee away and heaven bursts upon us with all its glory and light—darkness forever gone!
 It made me think of some of the letters I have received which tell of personal blackouts, times of severe illness when it seemed that you would never recover, but one day deliverance came and you were well again. How glorious it was to be out of the darkness and into the light once more, free from pain and sickness!
 Only those who have been through such blackouts know how glorious it is when the lights come on again! I want to assure you that the lights will come on again if you do not waver, but hold on to promises from God’s Word, and trust God implicitly in the darkness.
When there is darkness, the thing that makes it blacker is the thought that you may never come out of it. Of course, this is where the Christian has such a great advantage. For he has faith, and he knows the day will come when God will send deliverance!
 These personal “blackouts” of ours are such marvelous opportunities to show the world that our joy and our feeling of security don’t depend on natural conditions and circumstances. ­—V.B. Berg [1]

So, though we tremble in the dark,
In need of strength and help and cheer,
We have a tender Father’s word,
“Fear not, for I am here!” —Dinnie McDole Hayes

[1] Anchor Blackout