Recently I encouraged a dear friend who is living through a trial to keep a daily journal of what God is doing in his life. My suggestion grew out of personal experience. On the shelf before me is a stack of leather-bound books. They are deeply personal and very precious to me. Occasionally I sit alone and skim the pages. Many entries were made on bright days, filled with joy. And then there are the others. The more important ones. It is the pages penned in darkness, lines written with tears, that are now the most meaningful. Those were the days God was teaching me the most precious truths about Himself and His grace. Wordsworth once observed that he had…