It's always darkest before the dawn

“The path of righteousness is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.” Proverbs 4:18

It’s Always darkest before the dawn means difficult times always seem to be the bleakest just before things improve. In other words, never give up hope for a brighter future. This phrase was written by Thomas Fuller, an English theologian.

Difficult times seem to always find us when we least expect them. We’re just living life the best we can when all of a sudden tragedy hits. That’s what happened to my favorite uncle years ago. He was making a left hand turn when he was rear-ended and was pushed into the path of an oncoming car. To say the situation looked bleak was an understatement. The carnage that was left of the car was a mangled mass of metal, except where he was sitting. From the outside looking in, it was as if the Lord had taken his hands and wrapped them around his body and protected him from immediate death. He suffered numerous injuries and his recovery was long but it was nothing short of a miracle he survived.

God is good and He loves us so much. He continually reveals himself to us again and again so we can sing his praises in the good times and through the bad. The Lord shields us from imminent danger without us even knowing it sometimes. We chalk it up to “luck” being on our side. I choose to believe in God's providential hand at work through us rather than luck.

When I reflect back on times in my life before I had a living relationship with Jesus, I think of all the things that should’ve, could’ve, or would’ve happened if God hadn’t protected me.

His shield of protection was definitely around me.

In John 6:45-52, we read about a time when the disciples were in a boat. Jesus saw they were struggling to make any headway against the wind so He walked on the lake to them. They were so terrified when they saw him appear in the middle of the night, they thought they had seen a ghost. In a matter of seconds they went from paralyzing fear to overwhelming joy.

Just as Jesus immediately calmed the disciples and the wind that fateful night, He can calm us also. My notes to John 6:48 remind us of His majestic power and presence were on display that night and they are ever present with us today. It’s always darkest before the dawn when we’re going through a difficult time but God will never leave us stranded when we call on Him.