Enduring the Dark of Night

It is the dark of night that gives meaning to the day,

Of beckoning light if darkness doesn’t lead us astray,

Such dark of night should draw us to the Lord,

In the Presence of light, God brings hope on board.

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It is true for many of us that meaning for life came only after we had suffered significantly; that we only ‘got’ God, and the Gospel message, having been exposed to the dark night of the soul.

In this way the dark night gives meaning to the day.

But the biggest threat the dark night presents is choice. We are usually compelled by fear, not discernment. We don’t always go God’s way. In fact, we rarely do. We often, instead, travel towards the darkness and assume many dark positions in attempting to reduce the pain. We go to alcohol and other drugs, we depend on unreliable and untrustworthy people, or we avoid life and isolate ourselves.

But light beckons from out of the darkness. God is making something good out of all manner of evil. This is the eternal nature of the Lord.

Making the Choice to be Drawn to the Lord

Wisdom is our greatest need during dark times—when we are tempted to walk the wrong way instead of turning the right way. It seems easier, indeed more natural, to walk the wrong way; we make all sorts of justification for it. To be led astray is to go this way.

And though there may be one thousand or more ways of walking the wrong way, the choice to walk the right way is just as easy. It is simply a decision to walk in the light, in accordance with the teaching of Jesus.

There are some definite ways we walk in the light upon the dark night times.

We surround ourselves with trustworthy mentors. We enter into fellowship at church. We read our Bibles more and more. We pray. We learn to draw on God for comfort instead of drawing on the vacant promises of the world.

Amongst all these things, and more, we gradually negotiate our way through the darkness to the beckoning dawn of a brilliant new day shimmering with light; the light of the Lord.

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God is most accessible and most meaningful in the darkest of times. When we draw on the Lord in our weakness, instead of going world’s way, we gain strength to get through the dark night and we grow as a result.

God makes good out of our suffering by deepening our journey with him—to strengthen us.

© 2012 S. J. Wickham.