For more than a week since I wrote the meditation for 1 January, my computer has simply stood on the table. A dark curtain has descended over my soul. The life of someone very close to me has changed in an instant from light to darkness. What has arrived for him is what the priest John of the Cross (16th century) would call: “The Dark Night of the Soul.” And I grieve alongside him.
Early in December, while planning the January theme, #A_Firm_Foundation seemed fitting. (Let me admit, the Heidelberg Catechism wasn’t even on my mind!) 2025 could come. We would stand firm. We stand on #A_Firm_Foundation.
Then 2024 closed on a minor note for me. And 2025 feels colourless. And suddenly, the question pops into my mind: “What is our only comfort?” (HC Q1). Is this comfort—this strengthening—truly all we need? When life is going well, it’s easy to say yes. But when things fall apart? Truly?
I hadn’t realised how much I myself would need this theme, #A_Firm_Foundation. And for everyone who knows “The Dark Night of the Soul.” The older we get, the more we understand that we are fragile clay jars. But, Soli Deo Gloria, our only comfort in life and in death is that the power that sustains us does not come from ourselves but from God’s power working within us (2 Cor. 4:7). Soli Deo Gloria, the steadfastness of the foundation does not depend on us but on God, who is the rock.
That is why we can wish each other a good year—knowing it will be all-encompassing. There will be joy and sorrow, wonder and wounding. Yet, we have a firm foundation: a Redeemer and a Comforter!
PRAYER: You are the mighty one. You are the foundation. You are my only comfort.
MUSIC:
We watch the music video of “Within Our Darkest Night” by Grace Presbyterian Church.
The Taizé Community wrote the song “Within Our Darkest Night” as a source of hope for those going through difficult times. Its simple yet powerful melody speaks of a light that God ignites in the darkest moments—a light that cannot be extinguished. This light, representing God’s grace, love, and presence, serves as a firm foundation to guide and strengthen us through the darkness.
https://youtu.be/3cYHZFRhTLE?si=UpYkgROJesyj4cR7