Finding Hope in Winter Darkness

Dear Fellow Children of God,

 

Do you have the winter blahs?  Does the January darkness put you in slow motion?  Are you experiencing cabin fever?  Are you tired of shoveling the snow?  This year, are you sick of the freezing rain? 

 

It is January in Alaska.  As I looked at Thursday’s paper it said the sun rose at 9:54 a.m., and set at 4:24 p.m.   So, even though the solstice occurred almost a month ago and we are gaining 4 minutes and 14 seconds of daylight each day, it is still January.  We wake up in the dark.  We often go to school or work in the dark, and we return home the same way.

 

I personally enjoy winter.  I actually enjoy the cold and the snow.  I also believe that in these days of darkness it is healthy to get outdoors into the light.  So I ice fish, or snow machine, or go downhill skiing.  But even for someone who enjoys the winter I know that at this time of year I am a little slower to wake up in the morning.  Even for someone who enjoys winter sports, there are times that I get tired of the wind or the extreme cold, and get tired of walking through snow drifts or walking through slush.  And, I know that when the long hours of dark give way to a daytime of clouds, my energy is not there the way it is when there are clear skies and lots of sun.  Just the other day when I asked someone how they were doing their answer was, “I’m waiting for the summer.”  We all understand that answer.

 

Feeling down is not unheard of for God’s people, even though we are called to rejoice in the Lord.  The Scriptures are full of references to people who are overwhelmed, or tired, or even depressed and weeping.  Did you know that the prophet Elijah, after his victory over the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel, was so overwhelmed by the opposition of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel that he wanted to die?  Look at 1 Kings 19.  Elijah’s lament and God’s answers are worth remembering.  In Psalm 130 the Psalmist talks about his reaction to his sin, “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.”  The book that describes the reaction of the Jews to the destruction of Jerusalem and their exile in Babylon is called, “Lamentations,” or songs of lament or weeping.

 

When I am down one of my favorite verses is Psalm 42:11 where the Psalmist bares his soul and cries, “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”

 

When life is difficult, when losses cause grief and weeping, when the world overwhelms us, it is good to know we are not alone.  There are others who have faced the trials of life and sometimes been “downcast” or “in the depths.”  I expect you have experienced such feelings, but it is good to know we are not alone.  In fact, our Lord Jesus shared our suffering.  (See Hebrews 2:17-18)

 

And, when life seems to offer only strong winds and slush and darkness, it is good to know there is hope.  There is hope in the middle of winter because the days of light and summer are coming.  But, there is hope in the middle of life’s winters because we can put our hope in God.  When the world hurts us, God loves us.  When we suffer, Jesus suffered too, unfairly, for us.  When our trials overwhelm us, we know we have victory because Jesus rose and God gives eternal life to all who believe in the Savior.

 

I know some folks whose answer to the Alaska winter is a couple of weeks in Hawaii.  I personally will be going on vacation soon with Kathy to visit my dad and my family in FL.  But, even better than the warmth of the southern regions is the hope we have in God’s love.  “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”

 

A Child of God, Hoping in THE Light of the World in the Middle of the Dark Alaska Winter,

Pastor Jonathan

 

 

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ABOUT ‘THOUGHTS FROM THE PASTOR’ -   I am sending these e-mail messages, hopefully weekly, to all St. John members and friends whose e-mails I have.  (I am always adding new names of friends and members – in case you are just receiving this e-mail for the first time.)  However, if you don’t want to receive this e-mail, please let me know, and I’ll gladly leave your name off my list for this message. . . Or, if you know someone who would like to receive one of these e-mails, please send me their e-mail address.

 

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