Despair will end

Darkness and despair will not go on forever. Isaiah 9:1

What a promise! Darkness and despair WILL end.

In the last year, I have had joyous days but also dark days, days when grief ambushed me again and days when I allowed dark satanic lies of fear to grip me. There were dark moments watching the shadow of evil clutching at our world – toddlers shot in Thailand, atrocities in Haiti, war horrors in Ukraine, refugees drowning, hunger and homelessness close to home. I have dear friends going through tough times. In a dark world, there are dark days.

So when I light my Advent candle, which I so love doing, I remember that darkness and despair will end.

Isaiah prophesied,

The people who walk in darkness will see a great light.

For those who live in a land of deep darkness,

a light will shine.

In a tiny corner of God’s world, God lit a match. The light that will shatter all darkness is born as a baby and this is what he is called,

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Here are words to make our hearts soar above every dark cloud.

With the birth of Jesus, the eventual end of darkness and despair became inevitable. That birth in the stable was just the start. God’s plan is to light up life after life so that we would shine with his love until the day when Christ returns in all his glory and all darkness is banished forever. So often, we fail and our flame is dim but every time we turn to Jesus, darkness flees. I loved hearing last week from Stephen Timms MP that the vast majority of foodbanks are run by churches; without them, huge numbers would be hungry. The light of Christ shines brightest when it is darkest.

Today as we approach Christmas, Jesus wants to light up our darkness, to shine on us so that we too would shine with his love and mercy. Darkness and despair will end!