It’s quiet. The darkness feels a little softer, the shadows rich against the horizon as I lie in bed, counting the minutes.
11:58…59…
12:00. Midnight.
A rush of magic still comes with the word for me.
Afterall, to the outside observer, nothing changes when the clock strikes 12. The night sky is still black. The stars are still dull. The anxious thoughts filling up my head have not disappeared. And yet a new day has dawned, here, in the darkness, like a promise.
To me, at least, midnight sounds like a whisper of hope, a gentle gift from our sweet Father of Lights.
For our God does not abandon us when the sky is still black.
Instead, as the writer of the Gospel of John teaches us in John 1:5, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (NIV).
The light John wrote about in this opening chapter of his gospel is meant to portray Christ Himself: our greatest Hope, our greatest Light, our beautiful Savior, who remains alive and active no matter how long our night may last. He is already declaring our coming dawn in the dark.
It’s a truth King David held to throughout his life.
Crying out to God in Psalm 63, David wrote, “On my bed I remember you; / I think of you through the watches of the night. / Because you are my help, / I sing in the shadow of your wings. / I cling to you; / your right hand upholds me” (NIV).
Singing through the night, David understood that God was already raising him up toward the light of dawn.
He understood that perhaps the darkness he faced was only the passing shadow of God’s outstretched arms, and that soon, his present night would be swept away. Perhaps the silence he heard as he laid in bed was his Heavenly Father listening, waiting for David to call His name.
Perhaps, if we too, can be brave enough to declare today as our midnight hour, we will also find the comfort of the psalmist and see the light John proclaimed.
We have only to believe that a new day is dawning, even when the sky is still dark.
Dear Lord, thank you for being our Light in the darkness. Thank you for your presence, even when we cannot feel you close to us. As our night wears on, please help us to believe in the promise of midnight and to hold close to you through it all. May your strength and your light sustain us today, Father. Amen.
