But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. – Psalm 13:5

Today’s Scripture Reading (April 5, 2016): Psalm 13 & 14

“It is always darkest before the dawn.” It is a thought that has sustained many people through the dark moments of their life. The saying has also become a standard in the arsenal of poets and fiction writers. I remember, as a teenager, having discussions with my father in which he cautioned me against making big decisions in the midst of the night. After all, things always look different in the morning. We can trace the origin of the phrase back to an English churchman and historian Thomas Fuller in his 1650 work “A Pisgah-Sight of Palestine,” although he phrased it “It is always darkest just before the Day dawneth.”

Many scholars have noted that there is a divide in the middle of many of the Psalms. It is almost as if part of the Psalm is written by a David dominated by melancholy, only to have him leave half way through and have a new David replace him, one who is upbeat and optimistic. In Psalm 13, David asks how long God will continue to forget him, he talks about the depths of his sorrow and the triumphs of his enemies over him until the moment when he falls to sleep in death. There is deep sadness in David’s words and yet, all in sudden, that changes. The new David takes the place of the old one and talks about trust in the midst of the worst circumstances and of a salvation that can only come from God.

It seems that David recognizes the character of the night. And he knows that every night is broken by the day. Even the fiercest storm cannot keep the light of the sun from brightening the planet. The sun will rise and the night will disappear. And just as David is sure that the night will break in favor of the dawn, so too will God’s love and salvation win over all of the powers that try to defeat him. David knew this because he had witnessed it over and over again in his own life. Salvation is coming, all you have to do is wait for the sun to rise.

Modern poets Bill and Gloria Gaither have put this thought to music.

            Hold on my child

            Joy comes in the morning

            The weeping only lasts for a while

            Hold on my child

            Joy comes in the morning

            The darkest hour means dawn is just in sight.

Look, your salvation is on its way. Our only task is to keep the faith and watch for the sun we know will soon peak over the horizon driving away the night.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 17