“And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness — secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.”

Isaiah 45:3

Hours of tossing and turning redirected what should have been a restful night’s sleep, into grumpiness and frustration. With every tick of the clock, my anxiety and agitation grew! And that is when it happened. A Mockingbird began to sing. Yes! At two o’clock in the morning came the confident and joyful song of a Mockingbird!

At first it seemed a little annoying, as when your neighbors have their music too loud and all you want to do is sleep. But soon this mysterious disruption of my sleepless torture drew me outside with curiosity and intrigue, replacing my agitation with glimpses of joy. The search for the source of this mysterious music had turned into an unknown treasure in the middle of the night.

Though the Mockingbird is not aware of the darkness that surrounds her as she joyfully sings, we are keenly aware when the clouds of darkness surround us. We too though, can find joy in the dead of night because we know that God creates the light and the dark, He sends good times and bad times (Isaiah 45:7), and He calls us by name to join Him through them all.

Our darkness may not seem like a desirable place to meet with the Lord, but there is where He often does His greatest work. There is where our testimonies begin. Just as the mockingbird drew me out on my porch, God draws us to Himself with mysterious wonder so He can reveal His great mercy, compassion, and light. Because His riches cannot be contained in the dark, if we allow Him to, He will illuminate the glory of His love so lavishly in our life, that we breakthrough with confident joy, finding clarity, wisdom, strength and motivation.

The Lord promises to go before us and level the mountains. He will smash down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron (Isaiah 45:2). He loves us so much that He will fight for our freedom from the strongholds of darkness that paralyze us, keeping us from our full potential. When we are willing to rise up and stop tossing and turning, we can take God’s hand to start trusting and learning. He will show us that He is God and begin to use us for His glory!

The reason for my sleeplessness that night, well, I don’t really remember, but one thing I do; that through every passing hour this worn-out little girl sat on her porch in the middle of the night listening to a crazy nocturnal Mockingbird, God reminded me of Who He was. He shared His great love while restoring what was His – me. When I walked by faith into the night, what emerged from the darkness was a joyful renewal of life through His rich and perfect treasures – His presence, His hope, His purpose, His promises, and His light. 

12 words

Our testimonies begin when we search for God’s treasures in our darkness.

Dear God, thank you for creating all new life from the darkness – from a baby in a womb to our savior in a tomb – you created it all and you rule over it all! God, help me to use all of my experiences, whether they are good or bad, to praise you, to glorify you, and to store up the hidden treasures that I find when you meet me in the midst. Thank you for your ever shining light that restores, redeems, and brings new life in my darkest times. I love you Lord! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.