It’s darkest before the dawn

Even in life’s darkest moments, God is near. When hope feels distant, His plans are unfolding—bringing light, life, and a future.

The lady soloist’s ample form trembled visibly as she prepared to begin her performance, her hands vibrating the word sheet in sync. The people sitting in the congregation before her didn’t mind, though – they loved her dearly as she was their pastor’s wife.

They waited for her ‘ministry in song’ with patience and respect, knowing something of the life challenges that this dear lady had been through. Severe personal health issues had nearly taken her from her husband, children, and church, and yet here she was, testifying in song to the goodness of God and the power of prayer.

As the introduction ended with an expectant single high note, she took a deep breath and dived in, her trembling alto voice strengthening as she went on. She sang: “It’s always darkest before the dawn, don’t be discouraged but carry on, He’ll not forsake you, the sun will break through, it’s always darkest before the dawn.”

February is such a dark month here in Britain. This shortage of sunshine can lead to conditions like Seasonal Affective Disorder, sometimes called ‘winter blues’ though it can be a lot more serious than that term perhaps implies. Whilst some may welcome the darker and longer nights as a time to cosy up by the fire, for many it can be a season to be endured rather than celebrated. Rates of depression and even despair increase at this time of year.

When we lived in the Seychelles, just about on the equator in the middle of the Indian Ocean, we lacked the traditional seasons altogether, and strangely, I really missed the winter! The hot weather was the same most of the year round, with extremely high humidity making the soaring temperatures unbearable at times. In keeping with most tropical countries, we had a rainy season, mainly linked to the prevailing wind direction, but year-round the weather was fairly stable and predictable. I longed for a dark and cold British winter! I missed walking outside on a really cold day with an icicle forming at the end of my nose! You can have too much of a good thing! And even the darkest time of year holds within itself the promise of better days to come.

When God made the earth with its many seasons, he created a scenario described in the first chapter of Genesis as pretty dire: “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”

The knowledge that even in the formless emptiness and darkness of that early dawn, God’s creative Holy Spirit was present and hovering, is a comforting picture for those who struggle in these dark days. When the shadows were at their deepest, God was there. And he was not powerless to intervene. He had plans and was about to exercise and energise them. Light was coming, and in its wake would follow life, hope, and a future.

Life takes us through some very dark times and seasons. Times of grief, loss, pain, confrontation, loneliness, or rejection can all seem like a hopeless and impenetrable blackness. Yet, God is with us in the shadows, unfolding a plan that includes some amazing possibilities. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).

Suggestions vary as to why there is a perception that the final hour of darkness is its deepest, and even as to whether this idea is true at all, but we know how it feels in our lives when chilled by dread or gripped by fear. It’s great to know then that the Lord is near, whispering to us in our need, encouraging and assuring us that the dawn is on its way. It will not remain dark forever.

This article first appeared in Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.