“The setting of a great hope is like the setting of the sun. The brightness of our life is gone.” – Henry Wadesworth Longfellow
Today I stumbled across this quote in some papers I was sorting through from a long while ago. It struck me how true it is of my life recently but yet it seemed strangely depressing. Is it really true that when a hope is crushed the brightness of life vanishes?
For the Christian I don’t believe this needs to be permanent. Yes there will be times when we are overcome with sorrow and grief, when dashed hopes and unexpected disappointments seem to take all the happiness out of our lives. You can see this throughout the Bible and especially in the book of Psalms. David’s poems are full of strong expressions of sorrow, anger, pain and tears. Yet after these storms you will see him praising God and rejoicing again; seeming to have rediscovered the joy of life.
In Psalm 42 he says to himself : “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.”
This is only possible through the gentle correction and comfort of the Holy Spirit. We are so faithless, so quick to question and become downhearted and doubtful. Yet He continues faithfully drawing our focus back to Himself, reminding us of Who our hope is, and giving us the faith to wait on His timing.
How good God truly is! How full of unending mercy and tender love toward His children! Therefore, when as through eyes full of tears we watch our hopes or dreams die, we can know and trust that the joy and brightness of life will return; for it does not rest in anything but Jesus Christ. He alone is our hope, our strength, and our comfort.