Out of
darkness resurrection came.
Out of
a depressed day, a teary evening, comes newest morning.
Out of
darkness resurrection came.
Out of
injustice begetting anger comes stillness and reflection.
Out of
darkness resurrection came.
Out of
failure producing shame comes learning and fresh perseverance.
Out of
darkness resurrection came.
Out of
inferiority denigrating confidence comes the faith to risk anew.
Out of
darkness resurrection came.
Out of
envying comparisons comes the insight to be content.
Out of
darkness resurrection came.
Out of
lonely emptiness comes the courage to engage community.
Out of
darkness resurrection came.
Out of
depression comes the drive to hope for joy and peace.
***
Out of
darkest hell, the Lord Jesus was resurrected. He descended before he ascended. As
he was resurrected at the proper time, he will resurrect us in accordance with
our reliance on himself. To trust him is to wait and determine to discern and then
do his will. It will be horrid for a time. But afterwards we will gather a
harvest of righteousness.
The
harder life becomes the more resurrection life we might ultimately experience.
These
are no dark principles without basis; they are wonderfully and perfectly
biblical. We may thank God not for the dark time, but because he will bring us
through it. Now what is biblical also doesn’t hope to change the world, but to
adapt to being happy in any event. Such happiness is joy, to know that nothing
can knock us off our kilter for long. But if we cannot be happy, and many times
we cannot, we ought to pray for a stillness that transcends our understanding,
while we suffer. Some aid. Some aid, we pray does come. And if it doesn’t seem
to, we trust that God will sanctify in us growth and protect us in the meantime.
Even in complaint we prove faithful if we do not entirely give up.
We
will be struck down for a time, yet not destroyed. For, if we hope in Jesus, he
will vindicate us through a way out — a resurrection of his Spirit’s making
because we looked to him and were guided out of it.
***
Out of
darkest hell, the Lord Jesus was resurrected. He descended before he ascended.
He will resurrect us in accordance with our reliance on himself.
Having descended we, too, will ascend,
but only if we continue to trust him, which is no easy thing.
Let’s remember, in all our
difficulties, out of darkness resurrection came.
© 2015 Steve Wickham.
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