I’m thinking of all who are waiting for the Light, in the midst of dark times. And I’m thankful for the Prophets – both biblical and contemporary, who remind us to see with spiritual eyes, beyond the darkness and war, to the peace and Light that will come.
Sometimes we look at the world, and all we see is darkness, and we’re not quite sure of our footing anymore… After the lament, where do we go? How do we continue to walk when all we see is darkness ahead? And where – WHERE – is God in all this darkness? Where’s the comfort?
For me, this is what liturgy is. It is the guide-rope of centuries of Christian voices who whisper to future generations – this is the way out of the dark. Just hang on and follow it out.
When all you are longing for is daylight and the brightness of the sun, it is hard to remember that there is a light that comes in the darkness, too.
Sometimes life is like that. We have joy, but in a minor key. This life mixes up the best and beautiful with the ugly and evil of the world, and sometimes they play at the same time. As I approach Advent, the season of waiting and in-between, I want to be honest about the joy and the sorrow together.
God is in dark, dark places. But not with an instant pick-me-up solution. Sometimes it seems He is doing nothing and that perhaps He isn’t there. The cries for help seem to bounce off the ceiling. Pain is painful, and no less so for believers.
But alongside the truth of suffering, we need to acknowledge the truth that God is good, and that He does good work in dark pits.
Ruthie Davies shines with a passion for Jesus in everything she writes. It is a passion that goes deep, that has been tested in the considerable fire of grief. She has a beautiful Welsh accent that can be heard in this moving interview. Here is her story: For me, suffering cued neither the beginning […]
I have been privileged to have known Kath for more than a decade. She is not the shouty sort, you have to listen in close. But it is worth it, every whispered word is worth it. Over to Kath: As I sit here wondering how to participate well in this excellent series on God and […]
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Tanya Marlow blogs on the Bible, suffering and the messy edges of life [read more]