Strong into the Night
He who trusts in the LORD will be exalted. PROVERBS 29:25
In September 1939, Great Britain allied with France and several other alarmed countries in declaring war on Hitler's Germany, which had invaded Poland in its intended march toward global domination. By the end of the year, anxieties throughout England remained on high alert; everyone was fearful of bombing and invasion.
When King George VI sat down before two large microphones to make his Christmas Day speech to the nation, he was dressed in his official uniform as Admiral of the Fleet. With so many parts of the world facing an uncertain future, his goal was to reassure the people that their nation was prepared and able and their cause right and just.
"A new year is at hand," the king said. "We cannot tell what it will bring. If it brings peace, how thankful we shall all be. If it brings us continued struggle, we shall remain undaunted."
Then, turning to some lines of poetry his wife had recently shared with him, he concluded his speech with these words, which are a fitting close to our year together. They offer a word of encouragement that—we hope—will settle your hearts amid the troubles of our own era in history. These lines are from "The Gate of the Year," a poem written in 1908 by Minnie Louise Haskins:
I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year "Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown."
And he replied, "Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way!"
DISCUSS
As you make the turn to a new year, what are you facing that needs you to sink your hand more deeply into God's hand?
PRAY
Pray for one another that as you embark upon a new year, God will grant you and your family His favor.
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