Topic: Treasures in the Darkness [RICK WARREN Devotional 3 September 2020]

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Treasures in the Darkness

“I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.”

Isaiah 45:3 (NIV)In Isaiah 45, God promised the Israelites release from bondage to Babylon and deliverance for his wayward people through a Persian king named Cyrus. He says to Cyrus, “I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name” (Isaiah 45:3 NIV).

During his conquest, Cyrus literally found treasures that the Jews had buried as they were taken into captivity. Like King Cyrus, who found treasures hidden in the darkness, you, too, can find treasures—hope in the unexpected places of darkness, those painful places of suffering where you would very much like not to be. God gives you these treasures for two reasons.

First, he does it so you would know that he has the power to intervene in your darkness. In this verse, God reveals himself as the Lord, the God of Israel. Over and over in Scripture, he says that he is the Creator, the Sustainer, the Master, the Ruler, and the Deliverer. He is transcendent, which means he’s above time, space, and matter, and his existence is not dependent on anything outside of himself. His ways are higher than your ways and his thoughts higher than your thoughts.

“Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit” (Psalm 147:5 NIV).

God is huge and powerful, and he can intervene in your darkness in ways only a transcendent God can do. You can probably tell amazing stories of the ways God has intervened in your finances, your health, your family, or your career, just when you thought there was no hope of restoration or salvation. He revealed himself as he moved into your darkness and changed everything.

We ask for miracles every single day because we know he is God and we are not. Sometimes God intervenes in ways that we have begged for. Other times, he does not. He may not have intervened in the darkness that has surrounded you or your family in the ways that you desired. So, what then?

This verse reveals that God will be close to you in your darkness. He is the Almighty God. He’s huge, but he is also imminent, which means he is intimate. He is personal. He is your helper, your healer, your Savior, your friend, the lover of your wounded soul. This personal and intimate God will be close to you in your darkness because he promised he would be.

He’s as close as your next breath.

When in your life has God intervened in a seemingly hopeless situation?
Do you regularly ask God for a miracle because of what you know about his character? Why or why not?
How does God show you that he is near when you are walking through a dark time in your life?

About Kay Warren

Kay Warren cofounded Saddleback Church with her husband, Rick Warren, in Lake Forest, California in 1980. After the death of her son, Matthew, who lived with serious mental illness for most of his life, she founded Saddleback’s Hope for Mental Health Initiative as a way to support individuals and family members of loved ones with mental illness and suicidal ideation. The Initiative also trains others in the faith community how to launch or expand existing mental health ministries.

Kay is a board member of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention and is active in mental health/suicide prevention efforts in Orange County, CA. Kay is the author of Sacred Privilege: Your Life and Ministry as a Pastor’s Wife, Choose Joy: Because Happiness Isn’t Enough, Say Yes to God: A Call to Courageous Surrender, and coauthor of Foundations, a popular systematic theology course used by churches worldwide. Her children are Amy and Josh, and Matthew (who is in heaven), and she has five grandchildren.

Learn more at KayWarren.com and follow her on Facebook (KayWarrensPage) Twitter (@KayWarren1) and Instagram (@KayWarren75).