Light for those dark moments

Life can have its dark moments, and sometimes they are not just moments. In fact, when you experience them they probably never seem like moments; they seem like an eternity. Weathering these dark times can be a challenge. Have you been there?
In our reading today we saw that Job was in the midst of his dark time. Having lost his family and possessions he now is dealing with the loss of his health. He talks about his flesh being "clothed with worms and dirt" and of his skin "hardening and the breaking out afresh." In the midst of this severe trial Job seems to despair. He speaks about emptiness, and misery and coming to end without hope (7:3,6).
Paul, in Romans 11, alludes to Elijah's despair. He looked at his world and saw only darkness. He had seen other prophet's lives taken. He had seen altars torn down. He thought he was the last prophet remaining and now his life was being threatened as well. It truly was a dark time for Elijah, at least from his vantage point.
In Genesis Joseph, too, knew of darkness in his world. Rejected by his brothers, thrown in a pit, sold into slavery, falsely accused, thrown into jail, forgotten by those he had helped,.... What more could go wrong? Those moments of questioning and wondering I'm sure were ceaseless for Joseph.
So how do we weather such dark times of life which seem to be so common among men? I'm reminded of George Morrisons's thoughtful words. He said, "If our darker hours have no meaning, if they are devoid of plan or purpose, if life is nothing but accident or chance, the highest a person can achieve is resignation. But if God is love, and if everything that comes to us arrives in the perfect ordering of the Father, then another frame of mind becomes possible. The person who believes that God is in the hard part is empowered to endure the hard part. Faith finds goodness in things evil."
A big part of weathering life's dark storms is to gain the perspective of God. Our vantage point is always so small. We are so crowded in by our circumstances. But when by the grace of God, we are able to rise above the clouds, and see life from God's grander perspective, we will have reason to hope and even find joy. We will understand that our life and even our trials have purpose; that somehow they are part of God's good intentions for this world. Then from this vantage point we will declare with Paul:
Oh, the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! For who has know the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.