Buried treasure

In suffering, in the deepest darkness, only in the deepest mines are there veins of gold to be found. Only in our understanding of suffering do we come to better define the good. Appreciate the good  more and even joy may be the very treasure buried in the depths of suffering. It may very well be the exact avenue we need to follow to have the capability to discover joy in and of itself and perhaps hopefully the joy of the Lord.

The moon shines brightest on the darkest nights and we have to step away from the comforting street lights, and away from all ambient light to see the moon, stars and Milky Way. Is it not the same with the comforts of mental, emotional, physical or spiritual comforts?

Opposites help define the other  the most succinctly and effectively sometimes. So perhaps the darkness- whatever form that takes (and it may be multilayered) is there to lead us to the treasure we would not find any other way. Maybe we find the opposites coexisting as a means to better cling tightly to the lessons and treasures discovered. Perhaps we will need to stay for however long in this place  to keep us grasping white knuckled to His treasures, Not in fear but in love and reverence and hope. Treasures like His promises, His presence, His faithfulness, His protection, His sovereignty, above all else His love to be there in all of this walking within and with and besides us in and through this utter darkness so that we know not only is He is God but HE KNOWS OUR NAME.

“I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hoards in secret places, that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who call you by your name.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭45‬:‭3‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/59/isa.45.3.ESV

“Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭49‬:‭16‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/59/isa.49.16.ESV

“O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles? O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights? Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭40‬:‭27‬-‭29‬ ‭NLT‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/116/isa.40.27-29.NLT

“But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. Others were given in exchange for you. I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you. I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters, making a dry path through the sea. I called forth the mighty army of Egypt with all its chariots and horses. I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned, their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick. “But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. “I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭1‬-‭2‬, ‭4‬, ‭16‬-‭19‬, ‭25‬ ‭NLT‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/116/isa.43.1-25.NLT