Darkness before Dawn

Dark, black, night – darker still
Blackness complete, surrounding, engulfing, suffocating, immersing, infusing, continuing
Will it ever end?
Darkest – no light at all, no star light, no street light, no night light, no fire light,
Not even a spark in the air, on the ground, in the sky
Complete, utter, total, absolute darkness
If God is light, how can God be here in this desolate space?
If God is everywhere – where is the light?
No shadow, no shape, no sense of form
Secrets, mystery, hiding – obscured, concealed – incomprehensible
The darkness is not empty – it is full
Filled with gloom, despair, fear, hopelessnes,
Horrible deeds happen in the dark – heinous, atrocious, nightmarish, dreadful
The dark can be foul, hideous, monstrous, evil, odious, scary, unbearable
And yet it goes on….
How many hours before the dawn?
How much longer will this night go on?

The Lord says,

If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your darkness shall be as the noonday.
The LORD will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
Those from among you
Shall build the old waste places;
You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,
The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.

The darkest hour is just before the dawn, but can I be the dawn?
Can I dispel the dark of night, and drive away the evil, odious, scary, dreadful deeds?
Can I shine the light of hope in this wasted place?
If I just stop acting like a victim of the dark,
If I stop acting like it’s not my fault, and blaming others,
If I stop gossiping about all that goes on in the dark,
If I start to give of myself to those who really need me –
Not those who want to use me for their own personal gain
Not to those who want me to help them build their own evil empires
Not to those who think they have all the answers
If I give myself to those who are hungry, and thirsty
Who are lost or forgotton
Who are oppressed and afflicted
Without hope, without help, in the dark
If I give, I will shine
And the dawn will break forth and the darkest hour will be no more

You have heard it said, You are the light of the world, but I say to you come out of the dark, remove the bucket of shame from upon your brilliant head and get to work giving, and loving, and serving those you know who are in need.