When every dream, desire, and hope you had are crushed, shattered in the middle of a very dark night; where do you turn? What happens to faith and trust? Do you still believe that God’s plan is good, no matter what comes in this journey? Does faith depend only on sight, what we can see? Or is much bigger than all that we could ever hope for? Do our trials guide us nearer to the only truth, the answer for which our hearts seek? Yes, I believe they do; step by step drawing closer to God; our heartbreaks become an integral part of our ultimate Joy, Hope and Faith, which can only be found in Him.
So, my question to you is: “What do you do in the dark of the night when all your dreams, hopes and desires come crashing down around you? What do you do when hope Shatters? ”
What Do You Do in the Dark of the Night?
When Hope Shatters
By Effie Darlene Barba
What do you do in the dark of the night?
When all of your dreams, the hopes you held tight
Came crashing down, your world shattered, profound!
Heartbreaking tears, oh the wretched sound!
Can faith hold firm when hope is lost from sight?
It wasn’t the answer that my heart did long
I find it so hard to sing a praise song
When all that my heart did once long for, desire
Scattered as ashes by Your raging fire
Was it my fault, Lord, had I been so wrong?
Yet, if I look back, my story be told
Through gleeful spring days, and winters so cold
In the center of all, it has always been You
Who never let go, my Love to pursue
Your Glory, Your Grace; Your strength took ahold
How many years of sorrow, you’ve borne
While we shout Your name, and blame you with scorn
Your patience and Grace that brings each new day
While waiting for us to see You’re the way
Through Jesus Your son, our spirit reborn
When I consider Your Love from the start
That sent forth your Son, His throne to depart
To die on a cross, forsaken, forlorn
Facing such shame, disgrace, and such scorn
To Justly His Righteousness to Impart
On someone like me, so ravaged with pride
Who of my free will would never decide
To follow the one who loved me so true
That down crooked paths my love to pursue
Calling me there to walk by Your side
So,
What do I do in the dark of the night?
I run to seek You, my one guiding light
To sit in your presence, ever so still
Until I’m conformed, whatever Your will
To follow with faith, regardless of sight
WHEN HOPE SHATTERS
When everything you thought, you desired is ripped from your hands in an instants moment; life shatters, leaving your heart so broken you think you can never stand again. We, followers of Christ; are not exempt from devastating sorrows and losses. Indeed, we are even more vulnerable to loss; often, because we think it cannot happen to us who are God’s beloved. Yet, because we are His beloved; He allows us to face tragedy, that we might grow closer to Him. This journey is filled with dark nights and bitter cold winters. Our hope shatters into pieces on the ground around us, all too often. Yet, it is God’s Grace and love that picks up those shattered dreams and forms them into His own likeness, that we might feast our gaze, our hope and our desires on Him. He is the only one who can satisfy our hearts deepest desire.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:2
CONCLUDING TWEETS
[bctt tweet=”Lord, What do I do in the dark of the night? I run to seek You, my one guiding light” username=”effiedarlene”]
[bctt tweet=”Let me sit in your presence, ever so still Until I’m conformed, whatever Your will” username=”effiedarlene”]
[bctt tweet=”Lord, help me to follow with faith regardless of sight into the deepest darkest night” username=”effiedarlene”]
This is an original Drawing by an amazing artist whom I love and admire. Please check out his work at http://roninron.com He did this drawing with a piece of paper and a pencil.
Featured Photo at top of post by permission: https://unsplash.com/@anhphotoz Although I did add the inscription
©Effie Darlene Barba, 2017
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.