Night as Bright as the Day

It’s not an easy place to be. It’s a scary place to be. And it’s a place where the end may not seem near. The place in-between can be unexpected to previous plans and confusing to a troubled heart. Maybe you’re in-between a diagnosis and a cure, a heartbreak and healing, unfamiliar and comfortable, singleness and marriage, or maybe life just feels mundane or without purpose. Whatever time and place we are in right now, in the middle of any season of life, that means we are in the great, daunting unknown. The place between here and there is one filled with many questions, some that may never get answered, and some that will make much more sense down the road. I am at the point in-between where I have many questions, specific dreams that I don’t quite know how to achieve, and where the path ahead of me is not marked out, and that makes me uncertain. However, one thing I can be certain of is the faithfulness of God to fulfill every one of His promises to me, whether or not they are in my plans.

I have dreams of becoming a writer, wife, and mom one day, but at age 22, these seem out of reach at the moment. I know I am still young and people tell me that often but my head can be so consumed with the “what ifs” “whys” and “whens” of life that it overwhelms me to idleness. This is when I know fear is getting the better of me rather than the hope of God’s good and holy plans for my life. Jeremiah 29:11 has been a comfort and prayer of mine when the in-between times of life become ambiguous: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to give you hope and a future.” This truth is proof that even on the bridge from the desires of our hearts to the other side of their fulfillment, God intends that our faith will count it all back to us as righteousness. You see, our solid foundation is not in some future idea or life we fantasize about in our heads; no, it is the rock solid foundation of the past. Now that may sound strange at first, but it is the core of this journey of faith we are on together. The past faithfulness of God sending His son to die on a Cross and rise from the dead, fulfilling every single promise He gave Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob- that is our firm foundation to embrace everyday. How amazing that we get to look back on what has already been done instead of relying on an unknown future! I know, I know, easier said than done in the thick of the struggle, right?

But honestly, reflecting on the past work of Jesus everyday is what will keep us steady on the path of our unsteady emotions can lead us on today. One practical way I have discovered is reminding myself of the Gospel by writing out what it means for my life daily. Whatever way God leads us to remember His greatest gift will surely make a dark or monotonous season as bright as the day (Psalm 139:12).

God is perfectly willing and able to fulfill all His promises as we believe and do not let any amount of unbelief waver us. We must hope against all odds that there are far better things ahead of us than what the waiting times of the in-between lead us to falsely believe.

Romans 4 recounts the faith of Abraham, how he courageously believed against all signs of hopelessness, yet God counted it back to him as a gift of a blessed future because He depended on God. Nothing he could do could earn God’s favor upon him and future generations, only faith in what was to come in Jesus. Romans 4:23-24 says, “Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.” Those who would believe in Him are those of us who have trusted in the grace of Jesus. Abraham lived in a world when Jesus had not come, yet, he pressed on in full assurance that God would fulfill His promises to him. Unlike Abraham, we as God’s children get to look back and live in those promises fulfilled and press on bravely into a hope-filled future.

. This is hope completed, this is a life secure on the promises of the faithfulness of God in any time in-between. Even when we fall or forget, because we will, let us be people who look back in order to move forward. For this is the beauty that can arise from the ashes we are in, because He is faithful who promised.

My prayer is that as I learn and grow in God’s story for my life, your heart will be encouraged, too. He is orchestrating a beautiful symphony out of the missed notes and skipped beats of our lives. Let’s trust His perfect tempo, together.

-Dee