Enduring the Night Of the Soul

"But you, LORD, are a shield around me; my glory, you keep my head high. Whenever I cried out to the LORD, I was answered from the holy mountain. Whenever I lay down and slept, the LORD preserved me to rise again." (1)

"Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. ..It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?…For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed." (2)

Through Wintry Nights

The cool mists of autumn morn,
Descend upon my wilderness;
My heart is quietly forlorn --
A barren tree of emptiness.

Your gentle mist surrounds this tree;
You shield it from the wintry blast,
Of my old self which could claim me,
And drag me back into my past.

But roots of faith secure this tree;
Through winter nights, I will endure.
Though storms may rage incessantly,
God is my strength; my hope's secure!

His Presence shields us through the night;
When all is dark, faith is our light.



(c) Paul Buis, 2000

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1. Psalm 3:4-6
2. Hebrews 12:3,4,7,11-13