“If you find yourself in the deep down dark, this is not the time to give up. Take your eyes off the door that has closed and look to the window that has opened. That’s where the light of heaven rushes in.”- Kyle Idleman
In Chapter 2 (“Keep Fighting”) of Don’t Give Up, Kyle Idleman observes that moments of desperation provide profound opportunity. For example, in his book The Sickness Unto Death, Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard spoke of despair as having a remarkable silver lining. When you’re left with nothing to cling to, your only hope lies in something outside yourself.
As a result, Pastor Idleman explains, it’s possible to discover God’s power and presence as you’ve never experienced before. Kyle writes:
“The point of defeat — the urge to throw up your hands and surrender — seems like the most desolate corner of creation. It actually places you in prime position to experience God’s strength and provision because as it turns out, God is drawn to the desperate. If you trace this idea in Scripture, you’ll find that God’s deliverance often follows closely upon a time of desperation. His blessing tends to fall upon a condition of brokenness.”
However, Kyle exhorts, listen to the cloud of witnesses urging you to go against the grain and keep fighting. But, in stressful situations people display one of three reactions:
- Fight – when confronted, fighters strike back
- Flight – flyers take off, running in the opposite direction
- Freeze– paralyzed by fear, others take the deer-in-the-headlights approach
Flight, though, represents the most common response to fear. Most noteworthy, Kyle states, we tend to be more comfortable talking physical threats than what keeps us up at night. In conclusion, the author adds:
“When we find ourselves in a situation where we don’t think we have what it takes, we run away. The problem is that fear distorts our perception of reality. . . . Fear convinces us to give up before we’ve even tried.”
Today’s question: What Scriptures bring light when you find yourself in the deep down dark? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Finally there’s nowhere to run”
