I want to place a guard over my mouth when I write about human suffering – I, who live in safety; who have never gone to bed hungry; who do not know the horrors of suffering, displacement, or war. How dark must the darkness be to cry out, as David did, “My Rock, why have You forgotten me?” (Psalm 42:10). Yet, I know that each of us is familiar with what the 16th-century Spanish theologian, John of the Cross, called “the dark night of the soul.” Our darkness of feeling forsaken by God may differ, but being human means times of hardship, just as it includes times of joy.
On my shelf is a book by theologian Barbara Brown Taylor, Learning to Walk in the Dark, where she also refers to John of the Cross and says, “The only way to be fully alive is to embrace the pain that comes with living.” As contradictory as it may seem, it is the dark times of our lives that often provide the best lessons in hope and faith. As Paul describes it: “Suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Rom 5:3-5). Suffering, therefore, does not have the final say – hope does! “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful” (Heb 10:23).
So, along with Paul, I pray for you: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom 15:13).
PRAYER: Make my darkest night a lesson in hope and trust, my LORD.
MUSIC: A modern arrangement of the classic hymn “My Hope is Built” with lyrics included in the video. Arranged and recorded by Nathan Drake; written by Edward Mote, 1834.