by Sarah Van Diest @SarahVanDiest

O how I love Your law!

It is my meditation all the day.

Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies,

For they are ever mine.

I have more insight than all my teachers,

For Your testimonies are my meditation.

I understand more than the aged,

Because I have observed Your precepts.

I have restrained my feet from every evil way,

That I may keep Your word.

I have not turned aside from Your ordinances,

For You Yourself have taught me.

How sweet are Your words to my taste!

Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

From Your precepts I get understanding;

Therefore I hate every false way.

(Psalm 119:97-104)

Our Search

Answers. Understanding. Insight. How we long for those! We want so desperately to know what is happening to us and what will become of us. When the days are dark and we feel overwhelmed by pain or sorrow or confusion, we beg for answers. We believe that if we could simply understand, then we would find peace. That relief would come in the same package as the answers to our questions.

The psalmist found insight. He found understanding and answers. And he calls them “sweet.” But there’s a difference between what the psalmist found and what most of us search for. Most of the time we’re scouring the temporal, hoping to find the answers to our present pains. Our perspective is short-term. Our search is for a solution to our circumstances.

The psalmist is talking about a different search.

The Sweeter Search

He describes the joy that comes from knowing the Father and the Father’s ways. The words of the Father are sweet to him, full of insight and understanding. He delights not in knowing information about his circumstances, but in knowing the Father Himself.

Today may be a hard day for you. Your circumstances may be out of control. Pain, fear, confusion, or sorrow may dominate your perspective. Stop for just a moment. Breathe deeply. Quiet your mind and listen. What, above all things, does your heart desire? In the depths of your soul, the Spirit calls to you. He speaks the words you already know to be true. What you want most, above and beyond all things, is the Father. You long to be with Him—for His embrace to envelop you. More than anything, you want to look into His tender eyes and know He is with you, right now.

Always and Unchanging

Answers are good, but they are temporary. Our circumstances change and so do our questions. But the Father is always. Unchanging. Knowing Him is life. Knowing Him is peace. The things this life offer us do not compare with the life we have in the Father.

In all things dark and difficult, search for Him. Sweeter than the relief of the moment are our Father’s everlasting words. Rest in His arms and trust Him with the circumstances of your life. His eyes are on you.

What verses remind you to look to Father in the midst of your circumstances? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

Today’s blog post is from God in the Dark: 31 Devotions to Let the Light Back In by Sarah Van Diest.

Sarah Van Diest is a writer and editor. She’s the mother of two boys, stepmother to three more, and wife to David.

Sarah wrote God in the Dark as letters to a dear friend whose life was turning upside down. She’s done this for years for numerous friends and will continue to, Lord willing. It’s her gift to them. It’s hope written down.

When you are in the dark places of your life, Sarah Van Diest offers a companion for the path you are walking. You will find a voice of comfort and truth to call you back to the light, to help you see that you are never alone, never too far gone, and never unloved. This collection of 31 devotions doesn’t minimize the reality of your struggles, but rather points you to where God is—walking right alongside you. Receive this hope in the pain, God in the Dark.