Praying in the Dark

How did you fall in love with your beloved? Were there walks and late-night talks? What did you talk about? Perhaps the better question is, “What did you not talk about?” Conversation is the vehicle that facilitates depth in human relationships. The same is true in our relationship with God. We deepen our relationship with God in a similar fashion. We grow closer to God through ongoing conversation in prayer. 

Prayer is simply talking with God; and is itself, an act of faith. Though unseen, evidence of His existence and masterful work surrounds us in the created world. 

Scripture says it this way: “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6

God speaks to us through Scripture; we respond to Him in prayer.  Scripture and prayer work together to deepen our relationship with God. 

Through Scripture we learn His voice, and though we cannot see Him, we know Him. When we speak to Him in prayer, we know exactly Who He is. He stands above all of heaven, earth, and realms beyond. He is above it all, and yet He cares about the intricacies of our lives. As we pray, we seek divine help, guidance, and deliverance from our God Who dwells in unapproachable light, and also with those who are humble and contrite in spirit.

Prayer is our spiritual communication line; it links us directly to the heart of God. He is always open to listening as long as we will talk. He loves it when we speak with Him in prayer. Scripture urges us to pray continually, always to keep the communication lines open and humming between us.

We pray knowing that we are His creatures and He is our Creator. He knows all things from beginning to end, and therefore we come humbly, seeking the divine wisdom and guidance He promises to benevolently bestow.  When He illuminates the path for us with Scripture and His holy presence, we follow because He is God and we are not. 

The more we communicate with Him in prayer and immerse ourselves in Scripture, the more we see His heart of tender love for us, His benevolent mercy and overflowing grace. The more we see Him in His beauty and sink into His lovingkindness, the more we trust Him. The more we trust Him, the more readily we will follow Him—even when He leads us directly into the darkness and asks us to trust Him even there. 

When the darkness envelops and the cold rain pounds, by faith, we believe He is still near because Scripture tells us He never leaves us. When we feel alone, we know we are not because His word declares we are never alone. We pray on, in faith, calling up into the storm and into the darkness, because by faith we know He is still close, and He is above the darkness. 

I learned this early in my journey when my boys were babies. I was exhausted, overwhelmed, deeply saddened, and disappointed that God had not healed Matthew or sent a cavalry to rescue us from our difficulties. Rather, He was asking me to walk with Him into the heavy darkness posed by Matthew’s long-term disabilities, knowing what that would mean for me, Matthew, and our family. He was asking me to follow Him into the unknown—to trust Him in the dark when I couldn’t feel His presence and to keep talking to Him in prayer with no sense of His closeness.

However, the more I stayed in Scripture and kept the conversation with Him going, the more the settled assurance of His closeness became as certain as the breath I was breathing. My prayers were not polished or pretty; they were peppered with unfiltered questions and raw emotion as I struggled through my sadness to follow Him and keep praying in the darkness. 

I knew Scripture remained true no matter how I felt. I knew He was trustworthy and that He held me fast even when I felt abandoned. I couldn’t wait for my emotions to turn to sunshine before I followed, before I prayed. I had to follow Him scared. I had to pray up into the darkness scared—following His voice and grasping tightly to His hand through the darkness. I had to follow because He was all I had. He was my only source of strength, guidance, and light; if I didn’t have Him, I had nothing. If I had Him, I had all I would ever need. 

Scripture informed my faith, and in my conversations with Him, I talked with Him about what Scripture revealed. I talked with Him about His manner of dealing with His people, His redemptive work, and what this life of faith required of me. The more we talked, the deeper our love grew. My devotion to Him grew as well, and I was more willing to follow Him wherever He led me. It was in the darkness that He had taught me to fully trust Him. He was making me strong and fearless, and I began to understand that this kind of strength is often forged in the hardest places.

It was there that I learned to listen for His words resonating within me. I learned to pray on, even when the night felt endless, and to trust Him when I could not see what lay ahead. In the darkness, I felt His holy breath upon me and learned to love the One whose eye rested upon me, the One who held me securely in His everlasting arms.