In Our Silent Night

“And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.”  Luke 2:8

The darkness of the night seems to intensify our grief and loneliness.  It is in this stillness that we remember and feel so alone.  The darkness pours from the sky into the depth of our soul.  We may even have feelings of fear and anxiety in these dark moments.  Everything seems distant and foggy.  We curl up in a chair or in bed and the darkness seems to invade our space and thoughts.

The darkness reminds us that we are alone.  We remember when darkness meant being inside with the ones we love.  The night brought the family together, and the verse of “Silent Night” was true – “all is calm, all is bright…sleep in heavenly peace.”  But life is different now and nothing seems calm, bright, or peaceful.  We miss those precious moments of contentment when we felt warm and whole and life was good.  This Christmas, you may feel lost, hurt and alone especially in your heart.

It was in the darkness, that Jesus came into the world.  His birth was announced in the darkness to the shepherds.  Jesus comes into the darkness of our lives.  He comes to us in our sadness and grief.  He understands our loneliness and sits with us.  This Christmas, Jesus comes to me in my grief, and He holds my hand in the darkness.  He grieves with me.

Casting Crowns sings the song “Somewhere In Your Silent Night.”

All is calm and all is bright

Everywhere but in your heart tonight

They’re singing carols of joy and peace

But you feel too far gone and too far out of reach. 

Somewhere in your silent night

Heaven hears the song your broken heart has cried

Hope is here, just lift your head

For love has come to find you

Somewhere in your silent night. 

Somewhere in your silent night, God still comes to your broken heart.  Heaven hears the song of your heart and sees your tears.  God knows every tear that is shed out of love.  You may feel that joy and peace will never come again into your life.  You will always grieve and feel the loneliness and loss, but God will still come and find you.  God will still break through the darkness and bring hope through His Son, Jesus.  God loves you even in your sadness, brokenness, and pain.  It is in this emptiness of our souls, that God comes.  We have nothing to give or offer, and it is in these humble moments that God holds us and wraps us in the blanket of his love.

Christmas is more about God breaking into our hurting world than any glitter, presents, decorations, or dinner.  God broke through over two thousand years ago by taking the form of a baby.  God came to be like us, to save us, so that we could become like him and live eternally with him.  So in this week of Christmas, you will be sad and lonely, but allow God to break through.  God hears the song of your broken heart, and God loves you in your sadness and hurt.  God finds you in your own silent night.