In the Face of Darkness

If there is any generation that understands the darkness of fear and uncertainty, the feelings of helplessness, and the temptation to despair that we now face it is the generation that endured first the economic devastation of the Great Depression and then the worldwide chaos and unfathomable loss caused by the Second World War. How did they survive it?

The following is an excerpt from a speech my grandmother gave to the war wives in her church at the Sweetheart Banquet on December 8, 1944. There is great wisdom in her words:

“There is a legend from China about two surveyors who were crossing a trackless desert and to guide them they carried a map showing certain trees, streams, and contours of land which they were to follow. The journey was comparatively easy until one night a terrible storm came, during which they found refuge in a cave. On the following morning when they again started their journey, they found that all of the landmarks had either been swept away by the wind or washed away by the rain. They were lost—both were desperate—for their maps were now useless. All day long they tried to figure out a way to safety but could find no help. About midnight, one surveyor ran into the cave, crying out “We’re saved…we can find our way through this desolation.” “How?” his friend asked, thinking he had gone crazy. “Because,” replied the surveyor, “The stars are still there.”

When the storm of war came into our world, taking from us for awhile that person dearest to the heart of each of us, in many instances we felt alone and lost and desolate—until suddenly, we realized that God’s universal laws still prevail and that through his church we might find the stars of faith and hope in a better day to come, the star of courage to face each day with our chin up and a smile, the star of prayer—that safety, good health, and cheer might attend our loved ones wherever they may be, a star of love—great enough to shine out over Bethlehem so that shepherds watching afar might see…”

God is still the same. He has not changed. He is still there listening to you and providing for you. The same plans He had for you, He has for you still. He cannot be deterred, even  by a global pandemic. You are safe in His hands. No matter how dark and desperate your situation, He is always near- listening, loving, protecting, providing. He will make a way.

“As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  Joshua 1:5

Author: Rebekah Durham

Rebekah Durham lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her three children.  She is a graduate of Columbia Theological Seminary and has written for numerous publications. She is an avid reader and in particular an admirer of C.S. Lewis, Thomas Merton, G.K. Chesterton, Henri Nouwen, and Dorothy L. Sayers (in no certain order). She'd also blindly follow Miss Marple (Agatha Christie's famous spinster sleuth) anywhere she wanted to go. View all posts by Rebekah Durham