Treasures Hidden in the Dark
Chad Roberts
3 min read ⭑
Throughout my life and ministry, I have had a front-row seat to God’s miracles. So, when blindness suddenly entered my life in 2018, I looked back at God’s track record. What I discovered is that the Lord uses our suffering and pain to transform us in the best way possible.
From my youth, God had been completely reliable. The same faith it took to go on mission trips as a kid, to plant a church, was the same faith it would take to face the life-altering handicap of blindness. If God’s grace had sustained me through the various seasons of my life, would his grace not be sufficient now?
As darkness closed in on me, my resolve deepened. I would move forward in God’s plan no matter what I faced along the way.
Majid Rangraz; Unsplash
Sometimes we find ourselves in the dark with what seems like only a small light to see the good pattern God is weaving for our lives, struggling to make sense of it all or finding the beauty or good in our experience. Yet if we are faithful and persevere, the day will come when we realize that “the most exquisite work” was done in those days of darkness. J.R. Miller once said, “If you are in the deep shadows because of some strange, mysterious providence, do not be afraid. Simply go on in faith and love, never doubting. God is watching, and he will bring good and beauty out of all your pain and tears.”
We see this promise in Isaiah 45:3 (NLT): “And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness — secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.”
The darkness I live with has yielded great treasures. God has taught me my greatest lessons through my deepest suffering, and the lessons have not been wasted.
It has been well said that what is painful in life can become profitable. Have you ever seen a caterpillar struggling in a cocoon? If an ugly, earthbound caterpillar wants to transform into a heavenly butterfly, it must go through a cocoon experience. In Romans 12:2, Paul wrote that we are to be “transformed”. The Greek word for “transformed,” metamorphoō, is where we get our English word metamorphosis. This type of change is only accomplished through a transformational process. In the case of a caterpillar, it is a painful process to be transformed into a butterfly. So, it is for us spiritually.
“The question is: Will you yield to God and to the process?”
God does his best work in a process, and if we are going to become “conformed to the image of his Son” (Rom. 8:29), then we must be willing to go through the painful process. God’s cocoon is a place of preparation. We store up hope for today so that we may face the pain of transformation tomorrow as that comes through molding and shaping, suffering and conviction.
I saw this very process unfold in my own life. Months before I knew that eye surgery would be needed, I began preaching through the book of Acts. A few weeks into the series, I felt compelled by the Holy Spirit to preach without notes. This confused me because I had a special fondness for my sermon notes. However, I listened and obeyed, and from that Sunday on I prepared like I always did, except I did not take notes to the pulpit. Little did I know that God was preparing me even then to preach in total blindness.
Today, I preach without a Bible or any notes, because God has replaced those notes with an ability to memorize Scripture line upon line. Sometimes I think how good it feels to leave my house on Sunday mornings, completely equipped and empowered by the Holy Spirit to feed God’s sheep without the aid of notes or a physical Bible.
Are you experiencing God’s cocoon and struggling to understand why life is challenging? It could be that God is wanting to transform you. Perhaps your marriage, a job loss, health crisis, or some other interruption in the rhythm of your life is bringing about struggle and questioning. But take heart because you are most likely in God’s process of transformation and what is painful will ultimately be profitable. This profit may not look like earthly treasure. It may not seem to be profitable on this side of heaven in the world’s opinion, but it will transform you so that you look more like Jesus. God will not abandon you in the middle of the process as he works in you.
The question is: Will you yield to God and to the process?
Chad Roberts is the founder and lead pastor of Preaching Christ Church. He is also an author and Bible teacher for Awakened to Grace. Having traveled to over 40 countries, Pastor Chad is passionate about equipping leaders across the world to boldly share the Gospel.
Taken from Blind Faith: Seeing God Through Darkness by Chad Roberts. Copyright © 2026. Used by permission of B&H Publishing.
