Joel Osteen - Trusting in The Dark
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I want to talk to you today about trusting in the dark. The book of Genesis starts off telling how God created everything. It says the evening and the morning were the first day. You would think it would be reversed: the morning and the evening were the first day. But God starts the day in the dark at 12 a.m. Nothing looks any different; if you didn’t have a watch, you wouldn’t know you’ve entered a new day. Still dark outside, it looks the same as it did at 9 o’clock, 10 o’clock, and 11 o’clock. There’s no sign that something has changed. But when the clock strikes midnight, in that one second with nothing looking any different, it goes from p.m. to a.m. It’s still dark, but it’s a new day.
Wouldn’t it make more sense if God started the day in the light? When the sun came up at six or seven in the morning, when the dawn breaks and the light comes, then it’s obvious. We would know it’s a new day. We can see it; things have changed. We hear the birds start chirping; the sun comes over the horizon. We have all this evidence that we’ve entered a new day. But God on purpose chose to start the day in the dark. It’s symbolic of how He does things in our lives. He gives us a promise. He says we’re coming into a new day. He’s restoring health back to us. We’re going to lend and not borrow; our child is going to get back on course. We believe; we stand on that promise, but nothing is changing. Nothing looks any different. Nothing feels any different. It’s still dark outside.
Joel, my back is still hurting; my business hasn’t grown; my health hasn’t improved. This is what faith is all about. You can’t see it, but you have to know you passed midnight. You’ve gone from p.m. to a.m. Yes, it’s still dark outside. Nothing has changed, but the sun is on its way up. Healing is on the horizon: the promotion, freedom, the right people. It’s just a matter of time before you see the light breaking forth. Don’t get discouraged by the dark. The dark doesn’t mean nothing has changed. The dark is not a sign that God is not working or that He didn’t hear your prayer. Thoughts will tell you, «Well, you would have seen something by now. You would feel a little bit better. One of those companies would have called back. That addiction shouldn’t still be this strong.»
You have to walk by faith and not by sight. If you walk by sight, you talk yourself out of it. Because 11:30 at night doesn’t look any different than midnight. Everything you can see, feel, touch, or smell looks just the same. There’s no evidence that it’s a new day. But the psalmist said the moment you pray, the tide of the battle turns. You can’t see it, but when you prayed, you left the p.m. and came into the a.m. It’s a new day. You may not see any sign of it yet. That’s okay. Victory begins in the dark. You see, we all go through these dark times where we don’t think it’s going to work out. Seasons where nothing is changing. We’re doing our best, but the business is not growing. Standing in faith, but our health is not improving.
It’s tempting to think that God has forgotten about us. We’re always going to have this obstacle. The fact is, light is on the way. What God promised is en route. You may have struggled in an area for a long time. You’ve been believing for things to change in your marriage, your finances, or an addiction. It seems permanent, like it’s never going to improve. God is saying you’ve already entered a new day. You’ve already passed midnight. You can’t see it yet, but victory is on the way.
Now, instead of complaining about the dark, have a new perspective. The dark means the sun is on the way up. The promise is about to come forth. Who can stop the sun from rising each morning? Who can keep the light from breaking forth over the horizon? All the forces of darkness cannot stop what God has ordained for you. They cannot keep what He promised from coming to pass. In the face of that darkness, when you don’t see any light, get in agreement with God. Father, thank You that it’s a new day in my life. It may still be dark out, but I don’t go by what I see; I go by what I know. I know I’ve passed midnight, that my healing is coming, my breakthrough is coming, my abundance is coming, and victory is coming.
When you realize that God starts with darkness to bring about new things in our lives, then you don’t get discouraged by the darkness; you thank Him in the midst of the darkness. You’ll praise Him despite what’s trying to stop you. This is what Paul and Silas did. They were put in prison for sharing their faith, and the religious leaders didn’t like them. They accused them of causing a disturbance. They were in the deepest part of the dungeon to make sure they couldn’t escape. But God won’t let you get into a problem that He can’t get you out of. If that difficulty you’re facing was going to stop your destiny, God wouldn’t have allowed it. It may seem too big for you. You could never overcome it, but it’s not too big for our God. He already has the solution. That trouble can’t keep you from your purpose: a setback in your finances, the anxiety, the depression is not permanent. It may be dark now. You’ve had some bad breaks. Perhaps you brought the trouble on yourself.
Now you think you’re stuck. No, get ready. God is not through with you. What He has ordained for your life will come to pass. That difficulty is a setup for Him to show out in your life. He’s going to do something unusual, out of the ordinary, and that will thrust you into your purpose. Something that will suddenly change things in your favor. Paul and Silas had chains around their feet. Guards standing outside the prison gates looked like they were put away, and we would never hear from them again. All the odds were against them, but people don’t have the final say. What you’re up against may be bigger, more powerful, more influential. But you and God are a majority. Him being for you is more than the world being against you.
There is not an obstacle that He can’t move. There’s not a sickness He can’t heal, not an addiction He can’t free you from. Sitting in that dungeon, falsely accused, they could have been depressed. «God, this is not fair. Why did it happen? We were doing what You asked us to do.» But the scripture says at midnight, they were singing praises and giving thanks to God. It’s interesting that we’re told when this happened. Most of the miracles we read about, we don’t have the details recorded. God had the writer tell us the time because midnight means it was a new day. And as they were singing praises, suddenly there was a great earthquake. The prison doors flew open, the chains fell off their feet, and they walked out as free men. It’s not a coincidence that this all happened at midnight. They may have been singing at 10 o’clock in the evening; nothing happened.
Thanking God at 11 o’clock, nothing happened. Praising at 11:30, still nothing. But when they hit midnight, when that new day started, suddenly things changed. God was showing us it may be dark all around you; you don’t see a way out. But when you come to that new day when you cross from p.m. to a.m., things suddenly shift. Sometimes you see it all at once like Paul and Silas. Other times you see it later. But the moment you pray, things change in your favor. And there may be a period of darkness where it doesn’t look like anything is happening. But if you’ll do like them and just keep thanking God that He’s fighting your battles and thanking Him that He’s making ways where you don’t see a way, then you’re going to come into these times where God will suddenly show out in your life. He will make things happen that you couldn’t make happen.
You may have areas where it feels dark right now, and nothing’s changing. That’s a test. Will you praise Him in the dark? Will you thank Him that that promise is on the way? Will you talk like it’s going to turn around? Believe that the healing is coming even though the medical report isn’t good? Don’t go by what you feel. Your feelings don’t always tell you the truth. Your emotions will try to convince you it’s never going to work out. Our mind will tell us all the reasons it’s not going to happen. Look how big the obstacles are. Walk by faith. Father, thank You that I’ve come into midnight, that it’s a new day. It may still be dark, but I know You start the day in the dark. I know this means the light is on the way. Keep that song of praise in your heart.
«Well, Joel, I’ve been doing this a long time, but I don’t know why nothing is changing.» God’s timing is not our timing. Keep doing the right thing. You’re in a new day. You passed midnight. It may be three in the morning. You have a few more hours, so to speak, before the sun comes up. I’ve learned the longer it’s taking, the better it’s going to be. God is getting you prepared for the blessing He’s already prepared for you. When it’s taking a long time, that’s because the blessing is bigger than you can handle right now. He’s getting you stronger, more mature, more confident. He’s getting other people that are involved in place. He’s doing a work on them. Don’t be discouraged because it’s been dark a long time. That’s a sign that God is about to do something you’ve never seen. It’s going to be bigger, more rewarding, and more fulfilling than you’ve ever imagined.
Now keep praising Him in the dark. Keep thanking Him in the dark. Be good to others in the dark. Keep giving and serving. When you do that, like Paul and Silas, suddenly doors are going to open. Suddenly you’re going to come into opportunity, the right people, healing, breakthroughs. It’s going to catapult you ahead. When my mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 1981, she’d been in the hospital for 21 days. One Monday late afternoon, the doctors called my father in and said there was nothing more they could do for her. They gave her a few weeks to live. My father drove her home that afternoon in traffic, and it felt like the longest drive of their lives. A very dark time. My mother could have been depressed, given up on life, but she knew that God is a healer and that He has the final say. She and my father went to their bedroom, laid on the floor, and prayed.
Psalm 50 says, «Call unto Me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver you.» A lot of times in our difficulties, we call our friends or relatives, or we consult experts. That’s all fine, but make sure you call out to God. Ask Him to help you. He created the universe. He flung stars into space. He has all power. You don’t have to beg Him; you don’t have to plead with Him. He’s longing to be good to you. The scripture says it’s the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Just ask Him in faith for what He’s already promised. One of the most powerful things we can do is take God’s Word back to Him.
Remind Him what He said: «Father, You said You would restore health back unto me. I’m asking You, Lord, for Your healing. I’m asking You to do what medicine cannot do.» Take His Word and pray bold prayers: «Father, You said my children will be mighty in the land. I’m asking You to free them from this addiction. Take away these wrong friends. Help them fulfill their destiny. Oh, Father, You said that I would prosper and be in good health, that I will lend and not borrow, and that You are Jehovah Jireh, the Lord my provider. Lord, I’m asking You to supply all my needs. Make rivers in the desert. Give me overflow so I can be a bigger blessing.»
On December 11th, 1981, my mother and father prayed and asked God to heal her from that cancer and give her more years. My mother believed that day she received her healing, that she came into her midnight. She went from p.m. to a.m., but nothing looked any different. She was still very frail, her skin was still yellow, and she only weighed 89 pounds. I never heard her complain. She never talked defeat. She would go through the house quoting Scripture: «I will live and not die and declare the works of the Lord.» It was still dark. The medical report hadn’t changed.
Month after month, no sign of improvement. All of her senses said it’s not gonna work out. She didn’t look good; she didn’t feel well. Her emotions and thoughts told her she wasn’t gonna make it, but she wasn’t moved by that. She kept thanking God, walking by faith and not by sight. Sight said it’s dark. Nothing has changed. You’ll never get well. But faith said I’ve entered a new day. It’s dark now, but light is coming. It’s just a matter of time before the healing breaks through on the horizon. It didn’t happen suddenly like Paul and Silas, but over time, little by little, she got better and better. Her skin color came back to normal. She gained her weight back and got her strength. Today, 44 years later, she’s perfectly healthy and whole. No cancer in her body.
God has the final say. It may be dark in your life right now, but don’t let the dark fool you. The dark is not a sign that you’re never going to get well. It’s not a sign that your child is never going to do right. It’s not a sign that your business is not going to make it. It may have been meant to stop you. The enemy sent it to keep you from your destiny. The good news is God has overruled that scheme. He is thwarting the plans of the enemy. That darkness is not going to last. The depression is not permanent. The addiction, the trouble at work is not how your story ends. You’ve gone from p.m. to a.m. It’s a new day. The sun is about to break forth. Healing is in your future. Abundance is in your future. Great relationships are in your future. Victory is in your future. Instead of complaining about the dark and being discouraged by the dark, have a new perspective. The dark means light is coming.
Now do your part. Start praising Him in the dark. Start thanking Him that things are changing in your favor. Don’t be moved by what you see. 11:30 at night doesn’t look any different than midnight, but midnight is a new day. God is saying the clock has ticked in your favor. You’ve passed midnight. Things may not look any different yet. Don’t worry; light is on the way. The sun has never once not come up in the morning. God has never once not made good on His promises. It may not have happened on your timetable; it may not happen the way we think, but I can assure you the sun is going to come up in your life. You wouldn’t be alive if God didn’t have something amazing in your future.
Well, Joel, it sure feels like midnight to me. Midnight is a good thing. God always starts in the dark. That’s a sign He’s about to burst something new, something big, something unusual. If He started in the light, it wouldn’t take any faith. If we could see how it was going to happen and if we had all the resources, the connections, and the solutions, we wouldn’t have to depend on Him. The time to show what you’re made of is when it’s dark. You don’t see anything changing. Thoughts will tell you you’ll never get out of debt, never meet the right person, never accomplish that dream. Instead of getting depressed, the right attitude is yes, it’s still dark; yes, I don’t see anything changing. But I’m not worried. I know it’s after midnight. Light is coming. God is faithful; what He promised, He’s going to bring to pass.
In the scripture, Job went through a dark time. Everything was going great in his life. It was good, but then the bottom fell out. He lost his health, lost his family, lost his business. It didn’t seem fair. The scripture says Job was the most righteous man of his day. You would think he wouldn’t have any dark seasons; he wouldn’t have to deal with disappointments and bad breaks. But life happens to us all. Rain falls on the just and the unjust. The difference with the just, with people like you who honor God, is that God promises to take what was meant for harm and turn it for your good. There may be dark seasons, but if you’ll stay in faith and not get bitter, God won’t just bring you out; He’ll bring you out better than you were before. He’ll make the enemy pay for bringing that trouble.
God said to Satan, «Have you seen my servant Job? There is no one like him in all the land. He’s blameless. He’s a man of integrity. He has an excellent spirit.» I love the fact that God was bragging on Job. If you could hear what God is saying about you, you’d be amazed. We think God is focused on our faults and shortcomings, but God sees all the good things in you. He sees your heart to help others. He sees your sincerity, your kindness, your courage. I can hear Him telling the angels, «Have you seen my son Jim? He’s really amazing. Have you seen my daughter Rachel? There’s no one like her.»
God is proud of you. He made you in His own image. He calls you a masterpiece. Just because you’re having difficulty doesn’t mean you’ve done something wrong. We all go through tests, seasons we don’t understand. What I want us to see is the darkness is not permanent. At some point, you’re gonna go from p.m. to a.m. God is going to shift things. You’re gonna come out promoted, increased at a new level of your destiny. When Job lost everything, he was very discouraged. He sat down among the ashes and put on sackcloth. He went through phases of being upset, bitter, and frustrated. God knows we’re human; we feel things. There may be times you feel those emotions. That’s okay; just don’t stay there. Job eventually got up out of the ashes.
It was still dark; nothing had changed, but he made this statement: «I know my Redeemer lives.» He was saying God is still on the throne; He has the final say, and I’m not going to drag around sour over what I’ve lost. I’m getting ready for the new things God has in store. In the middle of the difficulty, still dark as ever outside, nothing has changed. But in chapter 10, Job said, «God, you have granted me favor.» He was saying I know I’ve entered a new day. I know I’ve gone from p.m. to a.m. I know this darkness is not permanent. In chapter 8, a man came along to encourage him. He said, «Job, God will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.»
He was saying to Job what God is saying to us: don’t let this dark season fool you. Don’t let the sickness, the breakup, cause you to live defeated. You’re going to laugh again. You’re going to love again. You’re going to dream again. You’re going to build again. You’re going to lead again. You’re going to flourish again. I’ve heard it said: what if the darkness you’re going through is not the darkness of the tomb, but the darkness of the womb—the darkness that precedes God birthing something amazing in your life? You are not in the darkness of the tomb. Have a new perspective. You’re in the darkness of the womb. God is about to do something you’ve never seen. You’re going to discover talents you didn’t know you had.
That person that left broke your heart—they didn’t stop your destiny. You’re about to meet someone better than you’ve imagined. And that dark time was not wasted. God is using it to birth something that you could have never experienced without it. When my father went to be with the Lord, that was a dark time for me. But I can tell you now it wasn’t the darkness of the tomb; I was in the darkness of the womb. God birthed talent in me that I didn’t know was there. He took what I thought would be my darkest hour and turned it into my brightest hour. The scripture says God will turn your mourning into dancing. He will take away your sadness and clothe you with joy. I believe there’s some sadness about to be taken away.
That darkness is about to lift off of you. You’re going to be clothed with joy, happiness, fulfillment, a vibrant fresh vision, and fresh passion. Not just come out okay—man, I made it through—well, that morning is about to be turned to dancing. God’s gonna make up for the sadness. He’s gonna pay you back for the sorrow, the hurt, the injustice. And get your hopes up. Like Job, keep thanking Him that He’s granted you favor. Keep declaring, «My Redeemer lives.» Job went through this dark season, but that’s not where he ended. The scripture says God restored back to Job twice what he had before. He was more blessed in the second part of his life than he was in the first. Yes, it was dark, but when the sun rose up, he came out with double. Don’t believe those lies that the darkness is permanent, that it’s never going to change.
That darkness is a sign that double is coming. The sun is going to rise in your life again. You’re gonna see the goodness of God in ways you’ve never seen. He’s breathing in your direction right now. In the unseen realm, things are changing in your favor. Forces of darkness are being pushed out; the right breaks are headed your way. He’s gonna make things happen you couldn’t make happen. You’re going to know it was the hand of God. When we talk about Job, we think, «Man, that trial, that dark season must have been 50 years of his life. That was such a rough time.» But some commentaries believe the difficulty was only a nine-month period. It wasn’t years and years. What you’re dealing with is not going to last as long as it looks. It’s not going to hinder you for the rest of your life.
The sun is going to come up sooner than you think. You’ve already passed midnight. Daybreak is about to happen. Light is about to break forth on the horizon. Get ready for favor. Get ready for breakthroughs. Get ready for double. You’re not in the darkness of the tomb; you’re in the darkness of the womb. God is about to burst something out that thrusts you to a new level. My challenge is to trust Him in the dark. You may not see anything improving. That’s okay; walk by faith and not by sight. If you’ll do this, I believe and declare God’s about to turn your mourning into dancing, your sadness into joy. Like Job, you’re gonna come out promoted, restored, healthy, free, and better than you were before. In Jesus' name. And if you receive it, can you say amen today?