Faith Sees the Invisible Workings of God
Psalm 139:7-12
By: Dr. William H. Chavis, Jr.
Fear was the first expression of sin. Adam told God that he was “afraid” after he had sinned against God (Genesis 3:10). Before sin entered the world, Adam knew no fear. He spoke with God and experienced the Love of God. Ultimately, Adam panicked as sin overwhelmed him, plunged him into confusion, and darkness like COVID-19 is doing too many in our present time.
This present pandemic is raging across the country causing an unprecedented number of deaths, affecting the emotional and spiritual lives of many and testing their faith in God. Many people today are crying out saying, “Where is God in this pandemic”? The pandemic is their darkness. His answer is ‘I am here in your darkness’ (v.12).
In verse 12, darkness and light are alike or the same to God. In other words, where God is present there is no darkness. Where God exists, darkness has no substance but fades once God shows up. Our physical senses may give the impression that God is not present when darkness appears in our lives. We must trust our spiritual organ of faith. Faith sees God’s presence in the darkness of our lives because He is everywhere at the same time (v.7).
Our faith in God looks beyond our senses, and sees, that God is in the midst of our circumstances working His will. Fear will disappear when we acknowledge that God is our Light and that from God’s viewpoint, darkness is the same as the light of day. God wants us to see Him as He sees Himself – “as a Lamp shining in a dark place” (2 Peter 1:19b).
In 2 Chronicles 20:1-3, it reveals that three nations came together to make war with Jehoshaphat. Verse 3 states that he became “afraid” because he trusted his physical senses instead of His faith in God. All he saw was darkness. Then Jehoshaphat “turned his attention to seek the Lord” because he realized that God was with Him. It was as if he said to himself, “Wow, God, you are here and I see You, even in the darkness of my situation.” Jehoshaphat won the war without a fight (2 Chronicles 20:23-24)!
Jehoshaphat could have become paralyzed with fear as David expressed about himself in Psalm 139. David wrote that light was a night to him when he became afraid (v.11), but he found solace in the fact that God was his Light and Salvation in the midst of despair.
“I was afraid” was the first recorded expression by Adam (Genesis 3:10). The Gospel is the complete answer to fear and the darkness that fear brings because God’s Love conquers fear. The first words of the Gospel to the Shepherds were “Do not be afraid” because Love became personified in God’s Son (Luke 2:10). When Jesus rose from the dead His first words to those who saw Him were “Do not be afraid” (Matthews 28:10). Why? God’s Love conquered sin and death through the sacrificial death and resurrection of Christ Jesus.
Christ will give us the strength at the particular moment of our need to face our fears when we exercise our restful trust in Him. Jesus understands us and feels our pain (Hebrews 4:15). His sacrificial death came out of grief, sorrow, and terror of the cross. His resurrection conquered sin and death. The resurrection delivered believers out of the darkness and into His Kingdom (Colossians 1:13) and seated us (Ephesians 2:6) with Christ Jesus in His glorious Light where there is no fear. Hallelujah!