I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.  Isaiah 45:3

            The dailyness of our struggles can often obscure our vision of any good that could come out of pain.  One difficult day leads to the next and we just can’t seem to view our story from God’s vantage point.  We can not see that we are sharing in the suffering of Jesus, the greatest redemptive suffering in all of history.

            A few days ago, I was personally given a picture that reinforced this truth.  An intercessor for Daughters of Promise was entrusted with this dream and she was faithful to share it with me.  As I have lived with it, I have come to realize that the dream was not just for me but for you as well.  Perhaps you are drowning in a seeming unending wilderness and need to know that you are not forgotten.

            In the dream, this woman was in her home office.  Everything was as it should be.  Familiarity was everywhere. Across the room, her eyes fell on a book she didn’t recognize.  When she went over to pick it up, she noticed that it was small black book with her name engraved in the upper right hand corner.  (A strange place for an engraving.)  The book was old and well worn though the engraving looked like it had just been done.  Time had not marred it in any way.

            Our life’s story is often black.  There has been more pain than joy.  More tears than laughter.  Because our lives are being lived out one day at a time, we often get lost in the singleness of the pages. We are not aware of the golden bookmark that peeks out from the bottom of the book, nor do we know that our name is engraved in gold on the front cover.  A holy God put it there, not in the expected right-hand corner, but in a more prominent place.

            The meaning of this is clear.  This book is no ordinary book. God has touched it!  Though it is worn, creased, and tattered from the many battles it has survived, the engraving remains pristine with the years. God is sealing our stories with the engraving of His love.  When we fear we are pawns, being tossed by the events of today, the evidence of God’s presence remains.  His intervention can be seen by the golden bookmark that graces today’s chapter.

  You have promised that there are hidden treasures in my black novel.  I continue to look for them and I hang on to your promises of redemption.  I am so grateful that You didn’t just engrave my name on a book, but on the very palm of your hand.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.