August 1st

August 1st

Read: Psalm 139:11-12; Isaiah 45:5-7; Psalm 18:9-14

EVEN THE NIGHT
When night with its deep darkness comes,
I do not run away
From unknown terrors, shadowed fears;
There’s something bids me stay,
And I’m aware of darkling things
I never see by day.

I hear a quiet rustling sound
Progressing through the grass,
Then see a rounded silhouette
`Gainst moonlit lake of glass
And know that old raccoon once more
Has made his nightly pass.

I hear the whir of feathered wings
As owl swoops low in flight,
And listen to the myriad sounds
The insects make at night,
And, if I tune my heart to them,
I hear the stars sing light.

As yearning senses all unfold,
Full-cleansed with dewy air,
I know the stir and feel of life
That comes with winging prayer
And that darkness is another way
Of knowing God is there.

When I was old enough to row a boat and sit quietly while Daddy fished, he and I would row out onto one of the Adirondack lakes in the evening. I rowed so that Daddy could troll-fish.

There was much to hold my attention on those outings … God’s stars, the pines on shore silhouetted against the sky, the sounds of peepers and frogs, and the occasional plop in the water as Daddy checked his line or a bass jumped. Sometimes we landed a fish, but more often than not it was the pleasant company of each other in the beauty of the night which enriched these jaunts. Even the mosquitos didn’t discourage us. The night became an expectant time for me while I was a child. If God and Daddy were with me, what could I fear … and what wonderful thing might happen?

Prayer: Dear God, help me to appreciate the night and its loveliness. Help me to see You in it all.