Never Doubt In The Dark
Early Morning Runs
I used to love early morning runs when training for marathons. Living in Orlando, you had to get up before the sun to survive the miles with the heat. When doing a twenty-mile training run, my friends and I would meet sometimes as early as four in the morning. It was a struggle to wake up, but I loved those crisp, cool mornings.
Four to Five in the morning is often the coolest part of the day. If we began running at four, you would feel the air cool down for about an hour and then the heat would take its place. In those cooler moments, I felt l could run for forever.
In The Cool Of The Day
In Genesis 3:8, we read God would walk with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day. For many years, I thought five in the evening was the coolest part of the day because that is when my dad would often begin his yard work. It probably had more to do with his work schedule than the heat. But in my mind, that must have been when God came and walked with them.
Sam and I were talking about the time of this and he asked, “Jen, when did you run to be in the coolest part of the day?” It all came clear at that moment. God came to them in the early hours of the morning as they were waking up to walk with Him.
How amazing would this be to every morning wake up and hear God coming and be able to go walk with Him before starting your day? We may not be able to do this physically, but there are definite ways we can do this through prayer, reading His Word, and/or meditating in the scriptures. There is always a special feel to it when I spend time with the Lord before the sun rises.
The Cunning Serpent
We also find in Genesis three, the cunning serpent that came in and twisted God’s words just enough to cause doubt in Eve’s mind. Adam and Eve fell for his deceptive words and ate from the tree God commanded them not to eat from. Immediately after, they felt shame. Then, in the cool of the day, they heard the Lord coming and hid.
If God was coming to walk with them in the cool of the day, the early morning hours, what time would the serpent have come to deceive? In the darkest hours of the night. The time when most of us feel the most vulnerable.
Several years ago, I struggled with something that caused a lot of doubt, and a friend shared with me a quote from Victor Raymond Edman, “Never doubt in the dark what God told you in the light.” I ran this quote through my head and a few days later walked into a gift store with the exact quote hanging on the wall. Don’t you love when God gives those subtle reminders?
“Never doubt in the dark what God told you in the light.”
Victor Raymond Edman
Adam And Eve
Adam and Eve could have used the reminder. The words of the enemy caused her to doubt what God had specifically said. God had said, ‘do not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.’ Eve had doubted so much that she recited this back to the serpent and also added, ‘and we may not touch it.’ She was confused and now adding in her own words to God’s.
When God speaks to us, we need to keep our eyes focused on Him. As soon as we shift our focus, the enemy uses it as an open door to say things like, “Is that really what God said? Certainly God did not say that…” When God speaks, there is no confusion. It’s when we look away that the confusion enters in.
I Am The Light Of The World
Jesus tells us, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12 NIV). When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and follow Him, we will never be in the dark, but always within His light. What does this look like?
Stay In Prayer
When we pray, we refine our focus and remind ourselves of His promises. God also shows us ways He wants to use us when we listen. When we spend time with Him in prayer, we grow closer to Him and seek more of Him.
Stay In The Word
When we are in the Word daily, it refreshes our mind. We fill our thoughts with things of God and not with the ways of the world. We learn more about God’s character and our faith grows to new levels.
Meditate On The Word
This is combining prayer and the Word together. Use God’s own words for your prayers. Either let Him speak to you through His Word or pray the Scriptures back to Him. Either way, you are keeping your eyes focused on Him. You learn the Scriptures more deeply and you allow Him the opportunity to reveal Himself to you.
Walking With God
When we do these things, we walk with God and let Him guide us throughout the day. When we start our days with something else, our focus sways. I encourage you to keep your eyes transfixed on the One who brings order out of chaos, light out of darkness, and longs to have a deep love relationship with you.
Write The Word
