Hidden Treasures

Welcome to my world.
Do you ever write something down, because you had a great thought, but then didn't have time to record the whole thought, so you just write a couple cue words to remind you? Because once you see those cue words, you will definitely remember what you wanted to write down in the first place? Because it was so brilliant that surely you would not forget why you wrote the cue words down?

Again I say it, welcome to my world.
This is the story of how that played out in the pages of my journal, beginning two weeks ago.

I don't remember writing them, but I know I did. The words lie on my page, dated so that I have reference as to when I scribbled them down in green ink.
They were two separate notations. I left several lines empty between them, probably because I had some good things to say and needed the space to pen my thoughts.
But then I didn't.
I don't know why.
Maybe I had to run out to do groceries or glanced at the clock and realized I'd soon be late for work.
Maybe someone called me away.
Maybe supper was boiling over on the stove.
The notes, my cue words, were left hanging.
The empty lines waiting for more.
Anticipating what would come next.

Two weeks passed.
Various life stresses approached and thundered down, intensified.
I opened my journal a couple times in there, and read the words I had written. Scripture references. But no further words.
I stared at those cues, but had no clue why they were there.
Why did I write them down in the first place?
What struck me about these verses that had me jot down directions to find them?
Clues to something, but what?
I wanted to read on and discover what secrets the words would lead me to, but I held back for some reason I don't recall.
So they sat still.
Waiting.
But as it often plays out, there is a special moment after the waiting. The release of something good.
The other day, I opened that journal again.
I hid myself away, opened my Bible and found those scriptures. It was like when I was a child and opened the cereal box, knowing that there was a little treasure hiding in there. The hopefulness of finding it, digging through the pieces of cereal to the bottom where the gift sat in the crumbs.
This is what it felt like.
But better.
I opened the Word and dug through, flipping pages until I found them.
And then ...
Like words spoken directly to my heart and mind, they met me exactly where I was.
But when I read the words, they were like new to me. And I again, was puzzled as to why I originally wrote out the scripture references. The words did not ring a bell in my brain. They did not cause me to think, "Oh, right! That's why I wrote them down!" No remembrance. No flicker of familiarity.
But the power of these words to me in that moment.
God knows.
He knows when you need something. The very moment you need it.
And in His own special way, He reveals nuggets of hope to your heart.
I smiled, closed my eyes, and pictured a display of shimmering gems being sprinkled down upon me. Sprays of fireworks. Like God had a handful of fine-cut diamonds and scattered them over me, into my receiving hands. The light breaking through the darkness.
These words were gems. They poured over me. They gave hope. They gave assurance. They gave promise. They pointed to the goodness of God.
And so, without further delay, I filled in those empty lines on my page with the words I read.

"And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness - secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel. The One who calls you by name." (Is. 45:3, NLT)

Treasures hidden in the darkness.
When darkness surrounds, when pressures leave you defeated, hurt, God still speaks. Like a father who sees his child's pain and offers a gift, a promise, a reassurance. And reminds you of the love he has and how well he knows your heart.

When things are dark, we cannot see.
We can't see good things.
We just feel the darkness.
We flounder.
We sink.
We claw away in panic and seek for something to grasp onto.
We feel suffocated, pained.
We feel afraid, worried.
We feel fear, hopeless.
Regardless of how we feel, or what we experience, there is always treasure hidden in the darkness.

"Your words are what sustain me. They bring me great joy and are my heart's delight, for I bear Your Name, O Lord God Almighty." (Jer.15:16, NLT)

The first verse I wrote down is a beautiful reassurance from God.
And the second, is a response of my own heart. As if I had originally penned those very words.
I love the connection of the two verses.
He calls me by name.
I bear His name.
He calls me by name ~ He knows me, deeply, intimately knows me.
I bear his name ~ I am a child of God, a daughter of the King, a princess, His own.
And in revealing Himself, His heart for me, and mine for Him, he showered diamonds upon His girl.
He lit up the darkness with fireworks and a celebration.
His promise, my response.
Two scripture references I wrote down without remembering why.
I'm pretty sure these thoughts were not even close to what originally prompted me to write the verses in my journal, but they certainly packed a punch when I finally got back to them.

"I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness ... so you will know that I AM THE LORD."

When I doubt in the darkness, I can know who He is.
The One who calls me by name.
Because I am His and He is mine.
No matter what.