Some seasons feel like walking through a hallway with the lights off. You know God is real, you know He loves you, and yet you can’t see the next step. If that’s where you are this weekend, friend, grab your coffee and let’s sit with this together.
Dark Seasons Are Real, and So Is the Light
This week’s Fostering Faith episode, “The God Who Meets Us in the Dark,” is the final chapter in our series on walking through hard seasons. In it, I talk about illness and loss and about the truth I keep coming back to: God doesn’t always remove the darkness right away, but He promises to meet us in it. I won’t pretend dark seasons aren’t painful. They are. Grief is real, waiting is hard, and sometimes prayer feels like talking into an empty room. But feeling alone and being alone are not the same thing.
He Doesn’t Wait at the End of the Valley
Psalm 23:4 (ESV) says, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” Notice the wording. David doesn’t say God is waiting for him on the other side. He says, “You are with me.” In the valley. In the middle of it. In the part where you can’t see the way out.
That changes how we pray. Instead of only asking, “God, when will this end?” we can also ask, “God, show me that You’re here right now.” Psalm 139:12 (ESV) tells us that even the darkness is not dark to Him. What feels like total blackness to you is not hidden from Him at all.
What the Dark Teaches Us About Trust
I’ll be honest with you: I would never have chosen the hardest seasons of my life. But those were the places where my faith stopped being a nice idea and became something I could stand on. When the feelings run out, what you actually know about God is what holds you. That’s why showing up to read His Word and pray matters even on the days you feel nothing.
Three Simple Ways to Hold On This Week
First, tell God the truth. He can handle your honest prayers, so skip the polished version and say what’s really in your heart. Second, let someone walk with you. Text a friend, call your mom, or sit with your church family, because the dark is heavier when you carry it alone. Third, hold on to one promise. Pick one verse, write it on a sticky note, and put it where you’ll see it every morning, maybe right next to the coffee maker.
You Are Not Forgotten
If you are in a hard season right now, I want you to hear this clearly: you are not forgotten, and you are not too much for Him. Jesus wept at a friend’s grave, prayed in anguish in a garden, and cried out from the cross. He knows exactly what the dark feels like. He is not far off. Psalm 34:18 (ESV) says, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
Praying for you today, friend. Whatever you’re facing, keep your eyes on Jesus and keep taking the next faithful step. I’m cheering you on.
With love and a whole lot of coffee,
Tracie
Ready to go deeper? Listen to “The God Who Meets Us in the Dark” on the Fostering Faith Podcast, available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. If it encourages you, share it with a friend who needs hope today, and leave a review so more people can find it.
