A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS
Imagine you wake up in darkness so thick you can almost touch it. It presses in on you and your imagination runs wild. You don’t know where you are or how you got there. Panic sets in. You feel lost and alone with no hope.
Suddenly there is a glimmer of light and you see the path curves around. You hear footsteps and know you are no longer alone. But are you safe? As the footsteps get closer you hear voices calling your name. As they come into view with their flashlights you remember what happened.
You had stayed behind, fascinated by the markings on the cave wall, while the others went on ahead. Mesmerized, you must have dozed for a few minutes. Your flashlight had gone out so when you awoke you were disoriented and forgot momentarily where you were. When your friends realized you had not caught up, they went back with their lights to find you.
*This is purely a fictional story, but it was a picture I had in my mind when thinking of how light brings hope.*
LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS BRINGS HOPE
Sometimes we go through dark times in our lives. Our imaginations run wild, and we often think of worst case scenarios.
Then, maybe a friend comes along to shine a light of hope into our lives. They sit with us and pray with us and help us to remember that God is with us. We don’t have to face the darkness alone. They bring light in the darkness.
Hope After Despair
A few years ago we attended a seminar with Michael Card called “Recovering the Lost Language of Lament.” He talked about how offering our lament to God is also a part of worship.
We were reminded of the psalms of lament in the Bible.
The psalmist would start out rejected and feeling down, but in the middle there was a change. He remembered how God helped him in the past and then began to praise Him.
Psalm 42:11 (CSB)
Why, my soul, are you so dejected?
Why are you in such turmoil?
Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him,
my Savior and my God.
Around the time of that five day seminar, my family was going through a dark time. I wrote the following poem/prayer before the seminar, but while there I realized that my prayer could be one way to worship God. Even though there were problems, and I didn’t know the next step, I knew that God did.
As of this date not all of those issues have been resolved, but I do have peace and I see God’s hand at work.
A LIVING HOPE
The hope we have is a living hope, because it is based on the finished work of Jesus in His death and resurrection. Our circumstances may not change, but we can trust in our God to work in His timing.
1 Peter 1:3-4 (CSB)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.
Even when times are hard, we can still have hope. We may have sadness, but even then, we can have joy in our relationship with God. We can share hope through our words and actions even during our struggles. Our stories help others know they are not alone.
Romans 15:13
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
This is Day 7 of Five Minute Friday 31 Days of Free Writes, and the prompt word is hope.
To read the other posts in this series click on: 31 Days of Encouragement
I’m linking up with: #LMMLinkup, #InspireMeMonday
Thank you Gayl for these precious words that point to Jesus, our Living Hope. He truly is the one we cling to when we can’t see what is ahead. I am so glad that you included your poem from the Michael Card retreat. The Lord brought such blessing to me here tonight. Love & Hugs dear friend. xoxo
Dear Bettie, I’m so glad you were blessed here. You are always a blessings and encouragement to me. Blessings, love and hugs to you! xoxo
So true. We often don’t let ourselves lament. I also can’t help but think of these words our friend Susan likes to say: “Hope changes things.”
Yes, and lament is so important. I love those words of Susan’s! They are definitely true! Blessings and hugs to you, Tara! xo
What a beautiful Lament, Gayl. And those Scriptures are so good. Your words fit so well with the devotional I read yesterday in Beth’s book with its focus on our risen LORD. When we can only see the dark, He turns us to the truth of the resurrection.
Thank you, Anna. Yes, whenever we are in the dark, we can turn to “the truth of the resurrection.” Sometimes we have to believe even when we don’t feel. Blessings, love and hugs to you, dear Anna! xoxo
I am so thankful for hope after despair. As a person who has dealt with panic and anxiety and depression, hope is vital to keeping my thoughts tuned to Him. 🙂
Oh, yes, and the hope we have is real because we can trust in the One who gives us the hope. Blessings to you, Melissa!
You did such a great job describing the darkness when hope feels far away and how that tiny glimmer looms brighter as we allow the God of HOPE to enter the dark places. That’s my tag line – The Hope Lady – Shining the light of hope into dark places.
Thank you so much, Karen! Yes, you are the Hope Lady! Blessings, love and hugs to you! xo
Hi Gayl, As I was reading the introduction to your post and before seeing the end of it, I thought to myself, this reminds me of the incredible darkness I felt in a cave in Alabama, the kind of darkness you could almost feel and then imagine my surprise when you mentioned that it was a cave you were imaging when you wrote that fictional piece.
I never thought about lament as being a form of worship, but indeed, when you look at the Psalmists and how they lamented, but then praised, it is a form of worship. You are casting your burdens upon the Lord, just as He has asked us to.
Thanks for this encouraging post.
Karen, thanks for sharing your remembrance of the cave. I almost didn’t put that part in there, but it was how I imagined it, and it helped conclude the story. Before the seminar, I had not really thought of lament as a part of worship, but now I understand. Yes, the psalms are full of lament and are a good example for us. I’m so glad you were encouraged. Blessings to you, Karen!
I love how you worship God through poetry and art :). God speaks so many love languages, doesn’t he!?
Thank you, Anita! Yes, He does. : Blessings to you!
The poem was amazing! I love the story at the beginning! How perfect that is to show how hope finds us!
Thank you so much, Sharon. I’m glad you liked the story, too. 🙂 Yes, hope does find us! Blessings to you!