Hope in the Darkness

14 But I trust in you, O Lord;

   I say, ‘You are my God.’ 
15 My times are in your hand;
   deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors. 
16 Let your face shine upon your servant;
   save me in your steadfast love. ~ Psalm 31:14-16 

I look at the gloominess of the past few days with all of the rain and cloud cover and am reminded of the old saying, "every cloud has a silver lining."  This term was used as far back as the mid 1600's (although originally stated as "a sable cloud turn forth her silver lining") by an English poet, John Milton in his poem "Comus."  It is a well-known phrase that speaks to those who are going through difficult times and yet remain optimistic. 

We all go through rough times in our lives (although some rougher than others) and we must always remember to remain faithful.  There is always hope when we look to God in our times of trouble.  There is also always something good that God can make out of a bad situation.  No matter what we may be facing in life - poor health, employment issues, turmoil in relationships with others - God is there to call upon to help us through these "not so fun" times so that we can see better days ahead.  In retrospect, we can often see where God used these very difficult times for good in our lives or the lives of those around us.  Better days may not be seen as soon as we want to see them, and then again, they may not be here on this earth, but the greatest days ahead will always be found when we have remained faithful to Him and he gives us our eternal reward one day.   

When we feel like "quitting" whatever it is that has us down, remember that our faithful, enduring love to God through all situations will eventually be rewarded.  Stay happy and smiling no matter where you are in your life right now.  The light of your faithfulness to God will help show the way to a more fulfilling life for those that have not yet found the joy of knowing and loving our Heavenly Father, who is with us through the good and the bad. 

Prayer 

Father in Heaven,

Thank you for helping us through the dark times in our lives.  Let us always be a light that shines for others to find their way to You and a more fulfilling, joy-filled life as well.  Amen.

~ Wendy Miller