DARKEST BEFORE THE DAWN

Have you ever been in a situation where it was pitch black? Pitch black to the point of not being able to see your hand right in front of your face? They say when you lose one of your senses the other ones become more sensitive. This becomes very apparent to me when I hit the woods turkey or deer hunting. I like to get in the blind/stand at least an hour before sunrise. That way the woods have a chance to quiet down before the action starts...if the action starts. After getting settled in the woods things get very quiet and if it's a cloudy night, it is very dark…pitch black. While sitting in the pitch black the first sense to kick in is my hearing. My hearing has been abused over the years so immediately the loud ringing kicks in. The ringing (which sounds like a train whistle) starts to subside after about 20 minutes. At that point the slightest noise sounds like a crash of lightning. A pine needle falling from an overhead branch sounds like a turkey flying out of gun range, or as a dried up oak leaf falls to the forest floor it sounds like a monster buck stomping behind you. The sense of taste also elevates and the toothpaste feels very effective. The smell of the toothpaste is so strong that any creature within 100 yards could smell it. Touch gets into the game as well. If it’s cold enough your fingers and toes have already made you aware of their uncomfortable presence. Heaven forbid a mosquito found its way to your skin, drilling into you like a dentist who forgot to use Novocain.

Eventually the pitch black starts to give way to the sunrise. This is my favorite part of the day. It’s when God’s incredible creations start to become visible. His light breaks through the darkness. First it illuminates the tree tops waking up the squirrels sending them up and down branches, then it cuts deeper in the forest and birds start to sing, then it touches your face and you feel His warmth, eventually it reaches the forest floor, and soon, if it’s His plan, the action really kicks in.

Ahhh, another chance to feel Gods light

Sometimes the darkness seems to last a lot longer than we care for. When it’s cloudy His light can seem out of reach. Feelings of loneliness, anxiety or depression can start to invade us. Whenever I’m find myself in a place where the turkeys aren’t gobbling, the fish aren’t biting, or His lights not warming my face, it’s time to move. Every day the sun comes up and God wants to shine his light on us. Hunt for His light; it is darkest before the dawn because God is showing us that He’s the way out of the darkness.

John 8:12