Gloom And Sunshine

by J. Miller | Category: Voices From The Past - Extracted From Jottings | NULL 1980

Isaiah paints a very dark picture in chapter 8:22 when he says, "And they shall look unto the earth, and behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish". Human sin and folly have darkened the days of the sons of men, and caused them to reap sour and bitter fruit. Distress, like a raging tempest, has beaten down upon men, and whilst the leaders of the nations seem to see the dawn of a brighter day and a brave new world, men of sober thought, who view the world of affairs not merely from a political point of view but from a moral and spiritual one, fail to see ground for the fair hopes of a better day.

But does God, through the prophet Isaiah, leave us with this picture of gloom? Is there no dawn of a better day? God never leaves men in hopeless distress. Though He may have no cause in man to work for him, He works for His own name sake. So the prophet goes on, "But there shall be no gloom to her that was in anguish" (9:1). In Galilee the people had "walked in darkness" and "dwelt in the land of the shadow of death". A great change came for that people and that land. The Man of Nazareth came to live amongst them. Midst the gloom a light sprang up. The promised hope of Galilee of the nations is the hope of the nations still. Wherever Christ is received the gloom goes. The Light of the world dispels the darkness. There is comfort in Christ for the distressed and sorrowing, help for the helpless, hope for the hopeless and wealth for the poor, Christ is the sole answer to all human need. There is no gloom or dimness to those who in their anguish turn to Him.

"Lo, I am with you" is to be heard by Christ's followers over all the ages, and rises clear and sweet above the din of earth's discordant notes and the jarring events of our earthly life. Christ has promised His presence to His own throughout life's journey, and He is nearer to us than He was to the two on the way to Emmaus. Then He dispelled their gloom; then He warmed their cheerless hearts, for they at least knew Him at that evening meal in the breaking of the bread. Let us have the cheer we may have, the light of His countenance, the warmth of His love, the comfort of His word, the strength of His strong hand!

J. Miller | NULL 1980
Voices From The Past - Extracted From Jottings