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Today's verse from Matthew says, “What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.”

Oswald Chambers makes the following points about this verse:

“—pay attention when God puts you into darkness, and keep your mouth closed while you are there. Are you in the dark right now in your circumstances, or in your life with God? If so, then remain quiet. If you open your mouth in the dark, you will speak while in the wrong mood – darkness is the time to listen. Don’t talk to other people about it; don’t read books to find out the reason for the darkness; just listen and obey. If you talk to other people, you cannot hear what God is saying. When you are in the dark, listen, and God will give you a very precious message for someone else once you are back in the light.”

When one goes through a difficult experience, friends and family gather around to offer advice. They ask how we’re feeling – now there’s a difficult question to answer when life is on pause. But to say nothing?

In reading through the Bible, you may have noticed a few other occasions where people were told not to say anything, and each of these incidents may seem puzzling. When Jesus healed Jairus’ daughter, we read: “He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.” Two blind men came to him, and he touched their eyes, and their sight was restored, but then he said, “See that no one knows about this.” A man with leprosy begged him to be healed. Jesus touched him and “immediately” the leprosy left him, but once again he said, “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” We even read that Jesus gave him a “stern warning”.

What’s this all about? If healing was part of Jesus’ ministry on earth, why would he expressly warn people not to tell others about it? The obvious practical reason is that crowds would swell, and it would be impossible for him to move around the area. Imagine if he were around today, what with instant media and ease of transport. Jesus would be filling mega churches with thousands, all there for his instant healing touch.

But the other reason is deeper, and it goes to the central purpose of why Jesus came to earth. Yes, he performed many miracles. We’re told that only some of these are recorded in the gospels, so there were even more. But the primary reason he came was to establish God’s kingdom on earth and to shatter the constraints placed on people by legalistic religion. He came to walk among ordinary people, to talk with them, eat with them, and teach them. He came to reveal God’s nature. It was never his intention to become a travelling magician – calming seas, healing lepers, turning water into wine. As impressive as all of those actions were, there was a danger that people would be distracted from his main purpose.

Doesn’t it seem strange that when Jesus was taken away to be crucified, virtually all of his followers deserted him? It’s incredible that despite all the miracles they witnessed, we read in John that: “many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.” These aren’t the random villagers who Jesus encountered along his journey. They were his disciples – those who walked alongside him and, in the same chapter, saw him feed the five thousand and walk on water.

So much for the power of miracles to bring people to Jesus.

It might sound flippant to say this, but it’s true. Many of us are constantly in search of miracles: healing, prophetic words, speaking in tongues. Some churches build their entire ministry around these gifts of the Spirit. But what God really wants is for us to know him for who he is. Yes, he can heal. Yes, he sends prophets and preachers to us. Yes, people speak in tongues, and others interpret them, while others teach. But to focus on the miracles is to miss the point.

The reality is that days or weeks after witnessing some heavenly intervention, we're probably already longing for the next revelation. It’s human nature, I guess. There’s always that niggling question in the back of our minds, because we can’t see God and interact with him as we do with other people: “Are you really there, God? Are you hearing my prayers?” We wait for him to perform for us, to prove his reality.

We’ll never fully understand God. He wouldn’t be God if we could. None of us ever will, so we try to shine a light onto him from where we’re standing. We speak of his attributes and tell of his impact on our lives, and in those of people we know. We keep praying for a deeper revelation of who he is and ask that we might be useful to his kingdom on earth. We keep our eyes fixed on the day when we’ll finally be united with him, and see him with clarity, not as through a glass dimly.

Oswald Chambers reminds us that we’re to listen to what God teaches us in the dark. There will be a day when we may be required to speak what we’ve learned, to uplift others. There may be a day when we’ll preach from the rooftops and tell of how God carried us through the wilderness. Of how his grace was sufficient for each day, and of how he longs to love those we meet with the same extravagant passion.

A few thoughts to ponder:

• What has God spoken to you "in the dark"? How might you treasure what you have learned about him, so that you can "speak it in the daylight" when your time in the wilderness is over?
• How can you develop an ever-deeper relationship with Jesus, seeking not only his intervention in your situation, but knowing him and thanking him constantly for the blessings along the journey through the wilderness?