Treasures in the Darkness

“And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness- secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.”

Isaiah 45:3 (NIV)

A little while ago, I stumbled upon this verse. And I read it. Again and again. And then again. And ever since then, I have gone back. Rereading. Letting it marinade in my heart and thoughts.

Because darkness. Darkness. It is not unknown to me.

There was a time. Not very long ago. When my world was covered in darkness. And I felt like I was trapped. Captured. In a tunnel. A tube. So dark and desolate. I could not find my way out. I couldn’t even feel the edges to find my way out. There was no light at the end. It was just pitch blackness. And me. Completely consumed by it.

Even now. Sometimes. The darkness. It sneaks up on me. Like a wave crashing over me from behind when my eyes are on the shore and I’m laughing and playing and oblivious to it rolling in behind me. And when it hits. It knocks me down, pulling me under. Dragging me along the floor. Spinning and turning, unable to breathe, I fight my way back to the surface. And just like being knocked down by a wave in the ocean, it takes time for me to recover and stand and get my feet back again.

But treasures? Hidden in the darkness? This really made me think. Ponder. Search through what I thought I understood.

Secret riches. Hidden in the darkness.

Now, I know this verse. This passage. Tells of King Cyrus marching through the gates of Babylon as God’s chosen conqueror. And kings of the time hid their treasures in dark. Secret places. And Cyrus and his armies would find hidden treasures.

But what if. What if God hid secret treasures in our darkness? What if, in the middle of the blackest, darkest times of our lives, God placed riches? For us only to find while in the darkness. The all-consuming, deepest struggles. When we want to give up and fall to the ground. What if. . .?

And this made me think more. About my own darkness. About what treasures have been hidden.

So I sat. Contemplating. In the quiet. And I could see them. As I looked back in the recesses of my mind. Back into the darkness. Like standing at the edge of a tunnel. That tunnel. At the edge of darkness and light. And as my eyes adjusted and my heart remembered, I could see it. The gold shining in the darkness. Illuminating more than I ever imagined.

Relationships. The people God placed in my path to walk with me and encourage me. The ones who sat in the mud. Jumping in with me. So I would not be alone. The texts and calls. That came at just the right moments. Those who have walked in their own darkness, and those who are unafraid of the dark. Treasures. Each one of them.

Identity. My identity. Who I am. Not on my own. Not because of my darkness. But because of who I truly am in Him. And who He truly made me. Called me to be. Refined in the darkness. Like silver. A precious metal.

Strength. I have a strength. Unlike I ever had. From Him. That can never be taken. Forged in darkness. Being brought out in the light. A strength that I carry with me. Because of the darkness. One that can never be taken away.

Words. He has given me words. Words I never knew I had. Words I thought I had lost. Words so I can heal. Words to share with others. So they can heal. To encourage. Others who are lost in the darkness.

And each of these treasures. And so many others that I will find glistening in the darkness as I look back. Reassures me.

“To know that I am the Lord. . . the one who calls you by name.”

The Lord who calls ME by name. Placed the treasures in MY darkness. So I would know that He was there through it all. In it all.