If we look at life honestly, things don’t get easier as we grow in our faith. I know of a woman who went through a terrible experience, and two years in, she still kept weeping. But her friends grew irritated. They grew tired of her grief. Shouldn’t this woman just snap out of it? And these friends began to retreat. 

They forgot, however, that going through a hard time is hard. They forgot that it is a place of discovery. God puts it so well:  

‘I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden wealth of secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.’ (Isaiah 45:3 NASB) 

Treasure if we linger 

For in our darkest hours, God has something to show us. In our friends’ deepest gloom, he has treasure he wants them to find. 

Our tendency is to help others get out of their pain as quickly as possible. But if we dared to let them linger, we might also discover a treasure beyond compare. For in lingering with them, we discover God’s heart, that despite their incapacity, or lack of productivity, they are still ‘brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord’ (2 Thessalonians 2:13 NASB). He still calls them by name.

And as we experience pain, or see it in others, Jesus calls out to each of us: ‘How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings’ (Matthew 23:37 NASB). And this is one way we can remain in Jesus. This is where we can discover his treasure. For under his wings, in that darkness, we discover how beloved we are.

Bring them to Jesus 

But what does this look like in reality? For me, there was a year where I experienced family deaths, a miscarriage, and a traumatic relational breakup. I couldn’t pray. I couldn’t read the Bible. So, Derek did it for me. He gathered me to Jesus as I sat beside him, my head on his shoulder. And I discovered a treasure: that to Jesus, I was still his beloved. I could remain. 

So, for those of us who have friends who are grieving and can’t seem to snap out. Bring them to Jesus. Read the Bible to them and pray. For it is you who can help them discover those treasures in the dark. It is you who can help them remain. And as you do, you too will find secret things. You will become God’s wings.