“Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the armor of kings, to open before him the two-leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; I will go before you, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of bronze, and cut asunder the bars of iron: And I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the LORD, who call you by your name, am the God of Israel.” (Isa 45:1-3)

Did you know that God has riches hidden in secret places? And these are riches He is eager for you to possess. Am I saying that God wants you rich? I don’t know what God wants for you with respect to tangible riches. I don’t know your character, your calling or your capabilities. What I do know is that there are great riches hidden in secret places and the kind of riches I am speaking of cannot be seen with the eye.

Take for example the rainforest. People with limited vision see only with their natural eye and cut it down to obtain temporal, tangible riches. They sell the timber and create pasture land for cows. But people with great vision who have spent time in the secret place of God know that God made the systems that make the rainforest the most productive and fruitful system on the planet producing tremendous abundance out of relative scarcity.

In spending time with the Father, they learn the systems. They discover the ways of God. They obtain great wealth of wisdom as they inherit His heart for the created order and in the process they can be trusted with the power that wisdom gives them. It is the unseen riches that produce the visible riches. Most folks chase the visible, corruptible, temporal riches. Wise ones chase the unseen eternal riches and in apprehending them, have everything else they need.

“Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the armor of kings, to open before him the two-leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; I will go before you, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of bronze, and cut asunder the bars of iron: And I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the LORD, who call you by your name, am the God of Israel.” (Isa 45:1-3)

As we begin this year, I want us all to be on the lookout for those things, those opportunities, those ideas, those riches God has hidden in secret places and which He is quite willing to reveal to those who carry His heart. It seems to me that it is paramount that we discover and carry God’s heart before we begin looking for His riches. In fact, finding His heart and carrying it is perhaps the greatest treasure of all and it prepares us with the wisdom to carry greater responsibility. If we were to find His riches without finding Him we have gained nothing and risked everything.

Jesus said “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” Think of it is this way, when you find His kingdom, discover His ways and lay hold of His righteousness, you will have the keys to everything that pertains to life and godliness. When we grasp the laws of the kingdom and operate within them, “all these things shall be added to us.” So the first treasure to be sought is the knowledge of Jesus Christ. He will lead us into everything else we need that is directly tied to our calling. If you are called to business, get ready to learn witty inventions. Get ready to innovate. Get ready to see that which you have previously missed. Get ready to hear the whisper of God.

Some years ago my wife and I were having lunch and the Holy Spirit directed me to immediately go and make a particular investment. Without knowing the current price, the past history or the projected future, we followed the Lord’s leading. The person we dealt with asked if we were “in the know” because the price had just begun to move off its low where it had been for awhile. I just smiled. Smiled more later when it increased by over 350% in an environment where other investments were failing all around. Get ready folks… Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him.

“Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the armor of kings, to open before him the two-leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; I will go before you, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of bronze, and cut asunder the bars of iron: And I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the LORD, who call you by your name, am the God of Israel.” (Isa 45:1-3)

Did you know God has secrets? He does. In fact, “the secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him and He will show them His covenant.” (Ps 25:14) He also has secret places which He invites us into. When you find Him in the secret place, you have also found the hidden riches He stores in secret places. The beauty of it is this… the secret place is not accessible to all. “Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that has clean hands, and a pure heart; who has not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.” The only people who find their way into the secret place with God and have access to the hidden riches, have purified their motives and been cleansed from all unrighteousness.

The treasures of God including the tangible riches He owns without end, are guarded by virtue and purity and wisdom. When we approach the living God and become transformed by the renewing of our mind. When we have discovered the heart of God towards all of His creation, we are on the path to becoming excellent stewards of every resource He has. I believe God is interested in putting men and women who carry His heart for others in control of the hidden riches of secret places. These riches will lay dormant until we as His children have been trained by the things we suffer. Then we will not be enamored with riches nor deceived by them. They will be a tool for accomplishing a higher purpose.

I am on that journey of pursuing Him, to have a heart that pulses with His love, to have a mind that thinks the thoughts of God, to have a soul through which courage courses every day. I want to apprehend the thing for which I have been apprehended and for me that lays in the marketplace. It is my honor to walk with you my dear brothers and sisters and to share with you such as I find that you too may enter into all that He has for you through the gate of ‘08 and beyond!

“Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the armor of kings, to open before him the two-leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; I will go before you, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of bronze, and cut asunder the bars of iron: And I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the LORD, who call you by your name, am the God of Israel.” (Isa 45:1-3)

We stand at the gate looking at 2008 and wondering what it will hold. I believe there are many treasures hidden in darkness waiting for you and me to discover. They are not lying on the path but rather in the hidden places, requiring light and diligence to find. The treasures are not dark in and of themselves, but are hidden in darkness until someone brings them to light. Furthermore, we are not speaking of a single treasure, though that would be blessing enough, but treasures, expressing an incalculable amount, more than can be expended.

Two things I will solemnly tell you this year. The first is that there is great treasure lying undiscovered all around us, hidden in darkness, waiting for the light to come and reveal it. Will you be the light? It could be something like the great diamond find in Canada that rivals Africa. It could be an invention, a cure for cancer, alternative fuels, a software product, a book, a song or a new way of doing an old thing. I promise you this year, they will be found. That is beyond contestation. The question is… Will you be one who finds it?

That brings me to my second solemn point… I believe God wants to entrust those treasures to His children. But we have to be seekers, searching early for wisdom, watching daily at His gates. As we grow in Him and in His wisdom, we can be trusted with the treasures and they will be used to bless the world, not merely fill our bank account. Are you ready this year to receive the treasures of darkness? Then seek Him first and foremost. Pursue Him diligently. You will find along the way the treasures hidden in darkness reserved for such a time as this.

“Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the armor of kings, to open before him the two-leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; I will go before you, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of bronze, and cut asunder the bars of iron: And I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the LORD, who call you by your name, am the God of Israel.” (Isa 45:1-3)

To the sons (mature ones) I write. The Lord has great treasures of darkness waiting for you to have eyes that you may see them. What are these treasures buried in the dark places? While it is true that Cyrus found literal treasure hidden in dark places, there surely is a spiritual application. In fact, there are many… The first one that comes to mind is the great treasure that I have gained in my darkest hours. My first born child was born with Down syndrome when I was such a young man. Those first few days were dark for me, but then the light exploded upon the scene and I saw such treasure. I realized that I was more fortunate than my friends. I grew much in wisdom and the ways of God.

Eighteen months later she died, less than a week before Christmas. Darkness came calling again. It envelops you, wants to rob you of any hope for ever seeing the light again. But in that darkness I once again found great treasure — not the tangible kind that decays, but incorruptible treasure that gives life to this day. And those are just the dark places I am willing to write about. There have been others where the darkness is not only void of light, but somehow thick with oppression. But even in that, I learned to see and God brought me out of that place into the glorious light of His dear Son.

Are you in a dark place right now? Ask God to show you the treasure. Ask Him to bring you into the light. Let His word be a candle to your feet and a light to your path. I can say with absolute certainty there is no darkness His light cannot penetrate. There is no heaviness a spirit of praise cannot break. There is no desperation that unbridled worship cannot deliver you from. This is beyond contestation despite the wishes of others who would rather you stay in darkness. I invite you my dear brothers and sisters to the light today. Come.