Seeing In TheDark

Series Intro

This five-week series explores characters from the Bible who experienced seasons of uncertainty—the “in-between” trials of life. In the Bible we see the people of God experienced times of frustration, pain, suffering, and difficult questions. We also experience these difficult times, and it’s vital that even in the midst of hard circumstances the we rely on God to see us through.

Intro

We are currently living through a challenging time, we are trying to defend ourselves against an unseen enemy.

We have leadership that often causes more confusion than comfort.

We have governors who are opening their states up prematurely and exposing people to danger.

We have people who have shut in fatigue.

Crowds of armed gunmen have stormed several state capitals.

Our country’s unemployment rate has reach historic levels.

Our food supply chain has been threathened as processing plants have closed.

Grocery stores are limiting the amount of meat you can buy.

Toilet tissue now cost more than a barrel of oil.

Thousands of people are showing up and churches and food distribution centers to receive food.

The president has even foolishly suggested that people ingest disinfectant.

We are currently living through a chaotic time.

And as believers we often wonder, God what do we do in the mist of uncertain chaotic times?

In our text this morning we learn something about God in Chaotic times.

Here we are in Genesis the book of beginnings… it starts by saying “In the beginning God..” I love it because the writer doesn’t spend time trying to defend the existence of God.

He’s not wasting time trying to argue with some post-modern philosophy about who God is… in the beginning God.

The Text says,

Genesis 1:1–3 ESV

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

I. God In The Darkness

(Childhood and the Owl at night)

Since childhood some of us have been conditioned to fear the darkness.

Some of us had night lights because we were afraid of something coming to get us in the dark.

We grew up watching movies that taught us to be afraid of the dark.

Darkness has been a metaphor for danger.

In the text.

“Darkness” and the “deep” prevailed over the landscape.

Much is made about the metaphorical significance of darkness, to suggest that it means “evil” (e.g., Isa 5:20); its imagery in the Old Testament often represents whatever jeopardizes life.

Darkness, however, in this text is treated as an actual entity, not as a symbol for evil, and its existence is recognized by its naming (1:5).

A common feature in ancient cosmogonies is that darkness preceded light, but in Hebrew tradition the darkness is not a primordial threat to God or a menacing evil, since God demonstrates his authority over it by naming it.

Darkness is not necessarily negative since it is also associated with God (Ps 18:11 [12]), and it is God who made it as a part of his “good” creation:

Psalm 18:11 ESV

He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water.

And it’s in the midst of this darkness that the text tells us that the spirit of God was hovering...

In other words God’s presence wasn’t absent in the darkness… the Psalm writer even says that God used the darkness as his covering.

Not only is God’s presence there but the text lets us know that God was active in the dark.

The text shows us that in the Dark… the spirit of God was hovering.

In the Hebrew that’s marahaefeth brooding (FERTILIZING)

It’s in the darkness that God is fertilzing.

It’s in the darkness that God is baking.

It’s in the darkness germinating.

God has sent me by to say to somebody that in our dark time you ought not be sitting around afraid of the dark because our God gave the dark it’s name.

Our God has authority over the dark not only that but God used the Dark a covering for what he was cooking up.

And for somebody who’s listing right now… God says you don’t have to be afraid of the dark… learn to use the dark.

Don’t be afraid of the dark times but learn to be active in the midst of the dark times.

II. God In the Light

III. Seeing In the Darkness

The dark ought be a time for you to visualize what you can actualize.