Treasures of Darkness

A Light at the End of the Path

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And I will give you the treasures of darkness

and hidden riches of secret places,

that you may know that it is I, the Lord,

the God of Israel, 

Who calls you by your name.

- Isaiah 45:3

Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed;

save me, and I shall be saved:

for You are my praise.

- Jeremiah 17:14

This beautiful month officially ends tomorrow, and what a joy it is to share my thoughts about it on the eve of the last day of March.

As I write these words, the sun has just set.

I will always love the sunrise, for there is a built-in message of hope, mercy, and grace in every sunrise I experience. My prayer desk faces the east, so that each time I welcome the day at dawn, the early rays of the morning sun shine on my face. Beautiful!

But for me, this hour of the day is the most meaningful.

In Hebrew thought, the 24 hour day begins at sundown. My mother often reminded us that we always prepared for the day the night before. She probably didn't know it, but she was handing down Biblical wisdom to me and my sister.

What peace and sense of fulfillment I feel when I take time at sundown to thank Abba Father for the day just ended, as well as the day that is at the same time just beginning to unfold.

In the same way, as each month ends, I look forward to giving it a name, a concise and meaningful summary of what the past four weeks have been like for me.

Each month's end is also the next month's starting point. My God is the God of meaningful endings and beautiful beginnings. That just takes my breath away.



This month was truly packed with meaning.

When I look back at the past 30 days I can only agree with the psalmist who wrote these words in Psalm 139:16 --

And in Your book they all were written

The days fashioned for me,

When as yet there were none of them.

On the first day of this month I boarded my flight back to Bacolod after being in Manila for five days. It was an unplanned, unexpected end to February, having been invited on short notice by my friend Rosemarie to conduct a three-day prayer retreat for her and her business partners, but what a time of refreshing it turned out to be. 

Going back to Bacolod after that retreat at her farm in Northern Luzon, I felt energized and invigorated, physically and spiritually.

How thankful I am to Abba Father that even though I wasn't consciously preparing to conduct a prayer retreat, He broke through and used me as a channel to speak messages from His heart for all of us.

He has done that so often, it should no longer surprise me, but it still does.

Father is simply amazing. When that happens, I am once again brought down to my knees, humbled. It wasn't my doing. It was the Father speaking to our hearts, ministering grace, releasing hope for the journey.

There are just too many things I will never understand in this earthly life, but heaven is bursting with life … and at the proper time, when I finally see my Creator face to face, I know I will fully comprehend His beautiful plans and purposes for me.

The week after I arrived back home, our Family Foundations International ministry team met almost daily, in final preparation for the School of Ministry that we were hosting.

Fifty-two persons from the Philippines, Hong Kong, UAE, Norway and Canada participated in the school. Held from March 8-13, it was a week-long training for ministering the Father's blessing through the Ancient Paths seminars that we conduct.

Neil Campbell from Calgary, Alberta (Canada) was the man who gave the training.

What a week it was! It was a training for life. Many of us in the team had been in this ministry for nearly 15 years. Technically, we already knew what being an agent of blessing was all about. But the fresh insight, fresh truth, fresh revelation… the freshness of it all... just caught my heart by surprise.

I had no doubt it was going to be life-transforming, at least for me. But I wasn't expecting to be impacted in the way I was.

The messages, the hands-on ministry situations, the interacting with the participants, friends both old and newly-forged … the organized way in which everything happened… the unity of our spirits….

My heart just felt so soft, so empty and so willing to be filled, so ready to receive…

How can a deep spiritual experience ever be quantified into mere words?

Words are not enough. I leave it at that.

The one week went by too quickly, and when it ended, my heart was longing for more.

But life moves on.

How good it would have been to sit quietly for one or two more days, just taking it all in.

But the rest of my month was already broken down into schedules to meet, and so, yes… life had to go on.

I am so grateful for that week of spiritual equipping that truly refreshed me. It was like a spiritual rain! Not a downpour, the kind that could get me drenched and soaking wet; it was a gently falling rain - the kind that the earth slowly drinks in.

On Saturday, March 14, my family and I had an early celebration of my 62nd birthday. We went to Hilltop Restaurant in Murcia and had dinner just as the sun was setting. It was a beautiful unstructured time of being with my sons and their wives and my four grandchildren.

On March 16, Monday… I had a lunch meeting, more commitments in the afternoon, and a Bible study in the evening.

On March 17, Tuesday… there was another lunch meeting, then in the afternoon I waited for my second grandson Full of Hope who was sleeping over at my home that night, since I would not be seeing him for almost a month.

In the evening, my two friends Miriam and Melanie, and I, celebrated my birthday in a delicious dinner at Terrasse Bistro in District Ayala Mall.

Coming home from dinner, I had a special bonding time with my two grandsons Forerunner and Full of Hope who slept over at home.

On Wednesday, March 18, from mid-morning till lunch my brother in law Vito and his wife Sue, and I, attended a beautiful 50th wedding anniversary celebration of our dear cousins Espiridion and Ofelia Piansay. It was such a memorable event prepared for them by their five children.

At 2 o'clock of the same day I was at my first grandson's graduation from Preparatory School, followed by a family meal at the rooftop of L' Fisher Chalet Hotel. Another beautiful sundown celebration for us!

In the evening, I went to another celebration, one hosted by my FFI friends in honor of three birthdays - mine, Elena's, and Buddy. It was such a hilarious, fun-filled evening of good food, spiritual blessings, and laughter!

I arrived home and quickly packed my suitcase for my one month stay in Manila, not forgetting that that day, March 18, was also my wedding anniversary…

By dawn of the next day, March 19, I was on board my flight to Manila to be with my daughter for one month.

During the flight, I looked back at the events of the past weeks that were carefully tucked within my heart. Even if everything had indeed gone so fast, nothing seemed out of place. God had so ordered my steps that each event had a purpose to accomplish in heaven's eternal economy.

On March 22, my daughter's maid left for her annual vacation. She would be gone for three weeks. Thus began my role for this season, to be a servant.

I wrote about it in my devotional blog: On Being a Servant.

On March 27, my birthday, I was up way before dawn, to give me enough time to reflect on the significance of that day.  Abba Father gave me a beautiful gift as I awoke: there was a song on my heart, and I knew He was singing this song for me. I wrote down my meditation for that morning in my online journal, and listened to the song. How precious and how loved I felt… my heavenly Father's love for me flooded my heart. 

You are a crown of beauty, a royal diadem in My hand, was His gentle whisper.

Read A Crown of Beauty - my birthday blog post.

I knelt down beside my bed that morning, thanking Abba Father for how my life has been. I thanked Him for creating me, fashioning each day of my life according to His beautiful design. I acknowledged that I was a masterpiece in the making, and that each day of my life had meaning and purpose.

After breakfast, my daughter Obedient One left for work, and I spent the rest of the day doing domestic responsibilities.

In the evening, I went to Ferino's, a local pastry shop nearby and bought a special bibingka and puto bungbong… then enjoyed eating it quietly at home, a simple treat for myself on my 62nd birthday.

Yesterday, after church Obedient One and I celebrated my birthday - delicious lunch at Recipes in Trinoma Mall.  

Today we had a day of prayer at Rosemarie's new home. This was the same group that had the prayer retreat last month. Again, I see it as a plan orchestrated by my Abba Father, with March ending the same way it began… in a prayer and worship setting.

One of the verses God impressed on my heart this day was Isaiah 43:5.

And I will give you the treasures of darkness

and hidden riches of secret places,

that you may know that it is I, the Lord,

the God of Israel, 

Who calls you by your name.

- Isaiah 45:3

With everything that has been happening the past weeks, I have a strong sense that Father is behind the scenes… with every event that unfolds, He has a gift waiting for me.

Just as this is the season of spring, and the ground that has soaked up all the moisture from the snow of the cold and dark winter season is bursting with new life, so am I in my spring season… walking in the newness of life, though I may not see it with my physical eyes.

Be not afraid of the cold and dark seasons of your life, I sense Abba Father saying to me. 

I am aware of your deep longings and many prayers for your family and loved ones. 

You can trust me in this.

I am giving you treasures of darkness… 

As precious as a pearl formed by an oyster coating a speck of sand with layers of nacre, trying to relieve itself of a painful intrusion in its heart of hearts…

As precious as a diamond formed from carbon after years of unbearable heat and pressure upon it…

As precious as gold purified in the crucible, simmering in white hot heat until the dross rises, and the liquid metal begins to glow…

In truth, the darkness is your friend…

For without the darkness, your strength cannot be tested

You faith cannot be proven strong…

Where there is darkness, my Spirit hovers… ready to make something beautiful.

In Psalm 18:11, the psalmist writes, 

He made darkness His secret place

His canopy around Him was dark waters

And thick clouds of the skies.

And in Psalm 139:12 I read these reassuring words,

Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,

But the night shines as the day;

The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

I love how Christian Moore puts it:

"Darkness is a provision from God for us, a place where we face unseen things that God wants to quietly, confidentially define by the light of His Word. Thus darkness is no longer the habitation of evil but a place where God has shrouded Himself in secret."

I have reached a point in my life where darkness no longer intimidates me.

I am not afraid of the things I do not understand or see.

In the night seasons of my life, God is secretly at work behind the scenes.

And so sundown is such a meaningful time for me to reflect and ponder what God is saying and doing, and to prepare myself for another day.

When we begin our day in the evening, it is a movement from darkness to light, from rest to activity.

Abba Father forms His beautiful treasures in the dark seasons of our lives.

It is said that the nightingale sings its sweetest songs in the night.

I came across a some quotes from Antoine de Saint Exupery's book Letter to a Hostage, a wonderful collection of insights on what the Sahara Desert taught him about the real meaning of life.

In one of the chapters he writes: 

"There is a silence of peace, when the tribes are reconciled, when the evening once more brings its coolness, and it seems as if one had furled the sails and taken up moorings in a quiet harbor."

That very much describes what I feel as this month comes to an end.

There is a silence of peace.

The evening once more brings its coolness.

My ship has taken up moorings in a quiet harbor.

At this point in my life, my 62nd year, I may still have some unfulfilled dreams.

But mostly I am at peace.

Unlike many people I know who derive their significance from their family relationships, I am very much at peace in my own standing and eternal position as a daughter of the King of Kings.

While I truly love my family - my children and grandchildren - I am also very much aware that they have lives of their own. I do not see myself as being defined by them. They are their own persons, with God- given identities and destinies.

I may help shape the formation of their character, speak words of insight, wisdom, and counsel… provide help in whatever form I am able to give it… But I am defined by my own unique relationship with my heavenly Father and who He created me to be.

As March ends today, this is the message it leaves behind for me: 

Father God is giving me treasures of darkness… hidden riches of secret places.

I name this month Treasures of Darkness.

Thank You, Father.  For now, I am glad as I rest my heart in You.  My ship has taken up moorings in a quiet harbor.

When the enemy comes like a flood, seeking to discourage me, or sow fear in my heart, You come to my rescue.

Treasures in darkness.

Hidden riches of secret places.

Father God at work behind the scenes… in the cold winter seasons, He soaks the ground of my heart with life-giving moisture.

And new life is ready to burst forth...

Two beautiful songs for this month:

Watches of the Night/Jesus Draw Me Ever Nearer

I look towards the wintering trees
To hush my fretful soul
As they rise to face the icy sky
And hold fast beneath the snow
Their rings grow wide, their roots go deep
That they might hold their height
And stand like valiant soldiers
Through the watches of the night

And no human shoulder ever bears
The weight of all the world
But hearts can sink beneath the ache
Of trouble's sudden surge
Yet far beyond all knowing
There's a strong unsleeping Light
That reaches 'round to hold me
Through the watches of the night

I have cried upon the steps that seem
Too steep for me to climb
And I've prayed against a burden
I did not want to be mine
But here I am and this is where
You're calling me to fight
And You I will remember
Through the watches of the night
You I will remember
Through the watches of the night



Jesus draw me ever nearer
As I labor through the storm
You have called me to this passage
And I'll follow, though I'm worn

May this journey bring a blessing
May I rise on wings of faith
And at the end of my heart's testing
With Your likeness let me wake

Jesus guide me through the tempest
Keep my spirit staid and sure
And when the midnight meets the morning
Let me love You even more

And may this journey bring a blessing,
May I rise on wings of faith
And at the end of my heart's testing
With Your likeness let me wake

And let the treasures of the trial
Form within me as I go
And at the end of this long passage
Let me leave them at Your throne

And may this journey bring a blessing
May I rise on wings of faith
And at the end of my heart's testing
With Your likeness let me wake

Jesus Draw Me Ever Nearer
Music by Keith Getty, Words by Margaret Becker
Thankyou Music