The space in between darkness and dawn…..
the space where the morning star hovers and the sun’s rays have not yet touched the sky
where the wash of a rising canopy warms the earth
this space is where God restores our stories.
Yes, there was pain in the darkness
in places concealed:
the hurt, the grief, the loss
the wounding words, the fractured relationships,
heaviness that settled in unseen places.
When light begins to soften the night
when the rays of a new day brush the sky
when one sliver breaks through
to warm the darkness
to warm the cold
to fill the space left empty
the heart begins to heal.
Only a few moments linger in this time of transition, these moments between darkness and dawn,
moments so sacred the birds herald its presence. A silent night is broken with song.
The air stills into a whisper of breath, no longer heavy. A curtain lifts to a new day.
Allow the warmth of God’s light…
the dawn,
a sunrise over the mountain,
to uncover his glory,
his presence that was there, even in the shadows.
His presence was secured for us for eternity
the time he plunged into the deepest darkness
to rescue us from its hold
to bring us into freedom and light.
His transition from the heavens to the earth is what made the way for us to transition from darkness to light.
His act on the cross to break the power of darkness freed us.
Sin’s desire stretched out to hold us. But Jesus’ desire for us was even greater.
So in the greatest love act, he transitioned from a divine place to walk on earth with us.
He walks with us in that space in between.
And because of that, the freedom he gives can become a song,
a new story
a restored story
as the one spoken of in the psalms:
He lifted me out of the slimy pit
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rick
and gave me a firm place to stand
He put a new song in my mouth
A hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord
And put their trust in him.
Psalm 40:2-3
Your pit may be an empty heart.
An empty space vacant by the recent loss of a loved one.
A loss, not matter what form it takes, still demands a space to grieve.
Your pit may be an empty faith.
A space void by discouragement or disappointment in the church
or in God himself.
Your pit may be an empty nest.
An empty space where lives once bustled in your home, now empty.
You are not alone in this space in-between
In this space between darkness and dawn
loneliness and connection
grief and joy
he longs for you to stand once more
on the foundation of his love
a love established at the intersection of two timbers in the shape of a cross.
This foundation cannot be moved
cannot be changed
even if all that surrounds you shifts and moves
with the current.
with the tide.
His kingdom was established forever and forever
in that space between darkness and light.
He longs to restory your story in that same space,
The in-between space.
To give you a new song to sing.
To give you a firm place to stand.
Places she has been published include The Wonder Years: 40 Women Over 40 on Aging, Faith, Beauty, and Strength, Ruminate Magazine, redbudwritersguild.com, fathommagazine.com, thewritelaunch.com, and mudroomblog.com. Follow her on Instagram @vinabmogg.
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Oh, Vina. Thank you for these stunning words. Re-story. What a striking picture of what God does for us.
Thank you Nicole for reading. Each dawn is such a witness to God’s act of re-storying! It is such a wonder, isn’t it?