Thoughts for a New Year's Eve

My dear one,

The new year is moments away, and thoughts of you fill my mind while I am serenaded by the tick-tock of a real grandfather clock which stands tall and imposing next to my cozy chair. Perhaps this clock will one day stand in our home.

Time is such a slippery fellow, racing fast when I'd like to stop and savor each second, and plodding along when I'd rather sprint through the undesirable parts. This year has been a hard one, and I will be glad to see it go. I am blessed to have a good job, but I long for more of a life outside of a "career." I hunger for relationship, family, home. I call out to God, "How long?" Sometimes I'm ready to say, "That's it, no more letters. God's plan for me is a life of loneliness." But then some small spark of hope rekindles the fire and I can almost see you standing there, waiting for the Lord to give His nod of approval before you walk toward me.


“Fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed,
for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
I will help you,
I will uphold you with
My victorious right hand.”

These words from Isaiah 41:10 popped up as my Bible app's "verse of the day," and how poignant these words are this evening! I can rest in God's presence promised for this new year. His comforting words bring a message of grace for my role as His handmaiden, and His words of strength give me courage in my vocation as His ambassador. Assured of His faithfulness, I look to the year ahead with confidence and expectant hope. Yes, there will be many difficult days, but His grace is sufficient.

What will 2014 hold? Will this be the year I finally meet you? Will this be the year in which you take my hand in yours for a stroll along the river path? Will it be the year in which I grow completely giddy over a bouquet of flowers from you? Will it be the year in which you teach me to ice skate? Will this be the year I whisper in your ear just to be close to you? Will this be the year that I finally put up with flirting because it has been saved for me all these years? 

Sweetheart, you will have to put up with a lot when you see for yourself that I'm what they call an "old soul." I was born too late - this 21st century is not where I belong. Please don't think me too old-fashioned! I find old churches inviting, suspenders and cuff links appealing, hand-written letters romantic, the aroma of freshly-baked bread intoxicating, the adventure of a camping trip invigorating, classic poetry captivating, fireside chats alluring, and sitting on the porch "for a spell" mandatory. Today I joined my family on an excursion to a historic hotel in the next town. We enjoyed its noontime buffet, with live piano music and plenteous Christmas decorations. As I listened to the strains of "As Time Goes By" and savored my slice of cheesecake, I found myself wishing you were seated next to me at the table. One day I will take you there.
 
My unknown darling, may this coming year be marked by joy, grace, and courage in our lives, as the Lord prepares us for one another! As the old year slips away into the darkness, imagine my hand reaching out to clasp yours as I lean in for a kiss. And remember you don't have to take down the Christmas tree yet -- after all,there are 12 days of Christmas, right?

Ever yours,
Me

In God's time

My dear one,

I thought I had might have met you once upon a time. There was a young man (a few years younger than I, to be honest), who was godly, intelligent, respectful... a diligent student, and a kind son and brother! I knew his family before I really knew him. The father hinted several times that I would be the "right kind of girl for his son," but nothing ever developed. I waited and prayed for several years, and I cried when I received his wedding announcement. But God makes no mistakes. He has us (you and me) in this prolonged time of waiting until the right time for our relationship to blossom. 

There are several single guys in my circle of friends right now, but none that I want pursuing me. Sometimes I'm afraid of being mean, especially when guys are genuinely respectable and mature. But I'm waiting for you to come into my life! I will know you when I see you, I'm sure of it. Your godly wisdom, confidence, and eloquence will no doubt make me feel unworthy of your attention. But your humility, sensitivity, and selflessness will reassure me and make me comfortable in your presence. I will be nervous but eager to introduce you to my friends and family. 

Tears spring to my eyes even now as I wonder if and when God will give me such a man. Yet I must never place you as an idol above the Lord. Only He can supply what my soul craves. Only He brings true satisfaction. Only He is worthy of my worship. May our love for one another and our gospel focus bring Him all the glory due to His Name! Soli Deo gloria!

I will continue in service to the King while I wait for you!

Sleep well, sweetheart.

Sunday afternoon greetings

My dear one, 

On this rainy Sunday afternoon, I send you my love. I trust you have been refreshed by gospel-saturated preaching today. I hope your brothers and sisters in Christ have been edifying and encouraging to you. 

I wonder if you have to spend the afternoon alone or if friends have opened their home to you for dinner and fellowship. One day you and I will be the ones exercising warm hospitality to others. 

If you are discouraged, lonely, frustrated today, please know that you are in my prayers. May the Lord lead you to cool refreshing streams in His Word, may He equip you with weapons for your battles, may He provide you with comfort and peace today and always. And may He lead you to my waiting arms soon. 

Yours even now, 

Me

New year, new book

My dear one, 

The new year is almost upon us. I love new beginnings. As a child I always eagerly anticipated a new school year, with its new notebooks, new pencils, and new textbooks. As a teenager I would often rearrange the furniture in my bedroom for a fresh take on decorating. This past summer I was so happy to move into my new apartment where I could implement changes that were on my mind for quite some time. And looking ahead to the new calendar year, I find myself with fresh resolve as I consider my priorities, goals, and wishes.

In addition to a few health/fitness goals, I have also made some financial decisions and am giving myself the challenge of memorizing Ephesians. I'll recycle my yearly goal of reading 50 books (roughly one a week), one of which I'm particularly excited to begin! The Good News We Almost Forgot is a study of the Heidelberg Catechism.

My first exposure to this historic catechism came when I was studying the theology of J. S. Bach, in a book called "My Only Comfort," the title itself taken from the first catechism question. The catechism follows the pattern of salvation as laid out in the Letter to the Romans - man's misery (guilt), man's deliverance (grace), and man's response (gratitude) - and is structured around the church year with 52 weekly portions. So I'll read the book at that slow pace in which I can absorb the rich truths of this historic catechism.

DeYoung writes at the beginning of this commentary, "All of us - kids and adults - can have our faith strengthened, our knowledge broadened, and our love for Jesus deepened by devoting ourselves to reading rich truth like the kind found in the Heidelberg Catechism."

“I wrote this book,” he continues, "so that others might be drawn into the same gospel ocean that has refreshed me. The gospel summarized in the Heidelberg Catechism is glorious, its Christ gracious, its comfort rich, its Spirit strong, its God sovereign, and its truth timeless. You can meet Christ here, if you will simply come and see."

Will you join me on this journey through the Heidelberg Catechism in 2014?

Growing together, not apart

My dear one, 

I find it incredibly sad when a husband and wife divorce, claiming to have "grown apart." How can that be, unless they were never one in the first place? I view marriage as a sacred covenant before God, and also as a miraculous blessing given by God -- the two become one. To "grow apart" would be like an arm tearing itself away from the body, claiming it needed "space." Divorce is a word that should not be uttered or even thought by a husband and wife, any more than the ending of a life should be considered an option.

Yes, it is true that I have lived independently for some time now, but that does not mean that I would want that same independence or space within my marriage. I've always thought it to be a dangerous thing for a couple to have "his and hers" bank accounts, for instance. My darling, in our marriage, we must live as one, with unity of purpose and goals. There can be no competition of priorities, such as I see on these "house-hunting" TV shows where the husband and wife are looking for two completely different homes. As your wife, it would be my aim to support your decisions, goals, and ambitions, contributing my own assets to strengthen you but never to be in competition against you. 

I am not one to shy away from or diminish the words of Ephesians 5:22-23... "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church..." This may sound like a strange confession, but I long for someone to whom I can submit. I need someone I can trust, love, and yes, even spoil. If you have my trust, which is something I do not give hastily, you will have my loyalty. 

Sweetheart, I want to be valuable to you. I want you to need me and pray that you will never feel like I am pulling you down. If you are growing in a particular area, it would be my desire to grow with you, not apart from you. We must be students of each other, desiring to achieve unity of purpose. And most importantly, we must be students of Christ, for as we set Him before us and press on toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God, we can't help but grow closer together!

All my love, 

Me

Random thoughts

Last night I couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned and lay there composing this letter in my head...

My dear one,

I saw a commercial today for Match.com. Every now and then I half-consider those online dating sites, but being quite skeptical of the member profiles' truthfulness (not to mention worthiness), I'd never sign on to something like that. Desperate people are the ones who end up resorting to those sites, and I would never want to come across as desperate (even if I do feel so on occasion). And if a guy appears to be desperate I tend to run the other way. Also, I would not want to begin a relationship with someone when the only information I have to go on is what he chooses to reveal about himself. That's just kinda creepy... How do I know if there's something important he's not telling me? I want to know how he treats his family, how he is respected in his church and community, etc.

But let's just say I found the perfect guy online and wanted to introduce him to my family and friends. How on earth would I admit that I had fallen prey to a dating site? Embarrassing...

I do often wonder if you, my dear one, will one day read these words before knowing me in real life, and want to get to know me based solely on these letters. I don't consider that to be outside the realm of possibility, and would cross that bridge if I ever came to it. But for now these letters remain a hidden little piece of the blogosphere and I'm okay with that. I think letters are sadly dying element of romance, and of culture in general, and I like to imagine that you and I two old souls, corresponding simultaneously and keeping the art alive.

If my someone is out there, what would I want him to know about me?

Foremost, I am a sinner saved by God's grace through faith in Christ, who is my Righteousness, my Refuge, my reason for living. I grew up in a Christian home and placed my faith in Christ at a very early age, but for many years had a warped view of my role as God's child. I felt that my outward behavior, my "performance" as a moral person, would earn me God's approval, favor, and blessings. My shortcomings constantly made me believe that I had to "work harder" at being a better Christian, and unfortunately these ideas were reinforced by well-meaning preachers and teachers who too misunderstood (and underestimated) God's grace. While in grad school, I sat under the preaching of a humble, intelligent man who ignited in me a hunger for deeper study of God's Word, and I came to embrace the doctrines of grace through his ministry of the Word.

My early musical training from my mother, and then with private teachers, blossomed into a undergraduate degree in music education, master's degree in performance, and finally a job as a university professor. Most recently, the completion of a doctorate in my field, while gaining additional orchestral experience, sealed my fate, so to speak. Yet I still cringe when people, attempting to ingratiate themselves to me, bestow the title of "doctor" on me at the most awkward times. (Just this morning, while jogging around the area where my parents and grandparents live, some well-meaning couple who apparently know who I am, joked loudly, "We'd better watch out, the doctor is on her run." I'm sorry, but I find that completely unnecessary. Here I am a daughter, not a doctor.)

I am a thinker, quiet and introspective (sometimes to a fault). I am a true introvert but hide it well enough that my acquaintances have no idea. As a musician I am completely comfortable being on stage, save for the adrenaline (aka "nerves") common to all performers. I communicate most easily in written word, but love a deep one-on-one conversation with a trusted friend. I'm more comfortable in a cozy little coffee shop where I can actually hear myself think than in a noisy  restaurant where everyone is yelling to be heard.

I have a constant desire to please everyone around me, which can sometimes backfire or bring frustration. I'm always wondering what people are thinking, and would hate for them to feel uncomfortable or think ill of me, and thus I hesitate to push myself into social situations without being asked or invited. But yet I love to have people in my home, though I know I'm no Martha-Stewart "perfect hostess." It's so much more fulfilling to cook for others than merely preparing enough food to fill my single plate! Several times a month I contribute a couple of dishes for the weekly Sunday evening college student dinner at my church. Who knows, maybe I'll meet you at one of those dinners.

I surprise most people when they find out what an enthusiastic football fan I am. It just so happened that I chose a big SEC school for my doctoral degree, and it was then that I caught the college football fever. But I grew up rooting for a local NFL team, and now occasionally catch RedZone on my computer on a lazy Sunday afternoon. (According to my dad, who has met the parents of Scott Hanson, the RedZone host, Scott is a Christian ... and single, never having found the right girl. Hmmm...)

My dream home would include a fireplace, porch, plenty of space for hosting parties, a big kitchen, and ample space for children. I am not one for a lot of clutter and knick-knacks, but I do have a weakness for books. I'd love to have a library with built-in bookshelves from floor to ceiling! I'm confident that you and I could provide a much higher quality education for our children by allowing them to study at home rather than "going to school." I have recently come to admire and appreciate the classical approach to education, and could see myself implementing such a system in our family. I have a tender place in my heart for adoption, and have often wondered if the Lord would call me to such a ministry if I were married.

Enough for now. Someday you will find out even more about me. But for the present, just know that I am waiting for you, praying for you every day. I thank the Lord that you are being faithful to me even now as you wait for me to come in to your life. Stay strong, my sweetheart.

Waiting, 
Me

Home with family

I wrote this last night, with no wifi to post it then...

My dear one,

All is quiet this evening (finally) as I say my goodnights to the family and retreat to the guest room. It is a welcome hideout after another day of nonstop activity and noise. The voice level often borders on shouting, partly due to opinions being asserted, and partly because several of the group are hard of hearing. Also, I am not used to having a television intruding my life, so its insistent messages of materialism and selfish pursuits have been a shock to my system (particularly my eardrums).

It truly is challenging for me to step back into the role of daughter-at-home during these family times, having changed significantly from how my parents and grandparents once knew me to be. It surprises even myself when I realize how differently I think, behave, and even eat, compared to 5, 10, 15 years ago. I've grown to develop certain views, interests, and beliefs that I never held while living at home. Though nothing rebellious or shockingly repulsive to my family, the changes in my habits distance me from my family to a small degree. Particulars, you may ask? Well, I tend to be more careful about food matters, limiting processed foods and seeking out organic produce and quality meat. I had to ask my mother to unplug her electric air freshener units because the chemical "fragrances" were causing me to develop a sore throat. And then there's the church issue -- my parents are quite understanding, though admittedly disappointed, that I am no longer a member of an "independent fundamental Baptist church." I never could have predicted my interest in theology, let alone my transition to reformed theology and Presbyterianism.

It's only been in the last few years that I've come to own my personality, style, and interests. Of course it was no surprise that my education and vocation focused on music, but beyond that I merely drifted along with the family flow for my first couple of decades. It took nine years to drum up the courage to call myself a Presbyterian. I am the first in my family to have a doctorate, let alone a master's degree. I didn't know what minimalism was until about five years ago, though now I can see that I've always gravitated towards it.

All this to say, I can recognize that being on my own and single has been good for my personal growth. I feel so much more ready to meet you, my dear one, than I would have been 10 years ago.

But I am still a sister, daughter, and granddaughter, and I love my family dearly, therefore I willingly come home and love on them as often as I can! I could not ask for a better family. Thank You, Lord.

I wonder when I'll be able to introduce you to my family!
Waiting for you, darling!
 
All my love,
Me

Merry Christmas, darling!

Greeting cards have all been sent,
The Christmas rush is through;
But I still have one wish to make,
A special one for you:

Merry Christmas, darling!
We’re apart, that’s true,
But I can dream and in my dreams
I’m Christmas-ing with you.

Holidays are joyful,
There’s always something new;
But every day’s a holiday
When I’m near to you.
The lights on my tree
I wish you could see,
I wish it every day.
Logs on the fire
Fill me with desire
To see you and to say

That I wish you Merry Christmas,
Happy New Year too!
I’ve just one wish
On this Christmas Eve:
I wish I were with you!

 Merry Christmas, darling!

My dear one, 

Sometimes I feel like standing under some mistletoe and just waiting to see who notices. I long for the day when you and I share that first mistletoe kiss.

This Christmas Eve I am with my family. I miss the wintery regions where I grew up, where we could watch the snow falling and tromp around in snow boots to bring Christmas carols to our church's shut-ins. Instead, one of my brothers and I played our instruments for the residents of the assisted living facility where he and my mom work. 

We never had "real" Christmas traditions as a family. No family gift exchanges, no tree adorned with sentimental ornaments. Just a nice family dinner, with some Christmas music playing on the stereo system. Perhaps the lack of traditions is what has prompted me to be so enthusiastic about decorating my own apartment, sending Christmas cards, and similar activities characteristic of the Christmas season. But ironically, I have to leave that all behind and travel to the hot climate where the only trees decorated in the neighborhood are a few scraggly palm trees. It's either that or spend the holiday alone in another state, so I'll take family over solitude! My heart is still restless though, because something is missing. You are missing! Won't it be wonderful to establish our own special Christmas traditions?

Merry Christmas, darling. Look for me under the mistletoe...

Another favorite Christmas hymn

All my heart this night rejoices,
As I hear, far and near, sweetest angel voices;
"Christ is born," their choirs are singing,
Till the air, everywhere, now their joy is ringing.

Forth today the Conqueror goeth,
Who the foe, sin and woe, death and hell, o'erthroweth.
God is man, man to deliver;
His dear Son now is one with our blood forever.

Shall we still dread God's displeasure,
Who, to save, freely gave His most cherished Treasure?
To redeem us, He hath given
His own Son from the throne of His might in Heaven.

Should He who Himself imparted
Aught withhold from the fold, leave us broken hearted?
Should the Son of God not love us,
Who, to cheer sufferers here, left His throne above us?

If our blessed Lord and Maker
Hated men, would He then be of flesh partaker?
If He in our woe delighted,
Would He bear all the care of our race benighted?

He becomes the Lamb that taketh
Sin away and for aye full atonement maketh.
For our life His own He tenders
And our race, by His grace, meet for glory renders.

For it dawns, the promised morrow
Of His birth, Who the earth rescues from her sorrow.
God to wear our form descendeth;
Of His grace to our race here His Son He sendeth.

Hark! a voice from yonder manger,
Soft and sweet, doth entreat, "Flee from woe and danger;
Brethren, come; from all that grieves you
You are freed; all you need I will surely give you."

Come, then, let us hasten yonder;
Here let all, great and small, kneel in awe and wonder,
Love Him Who with love is yearning;
Hail the star that from far bright with hope is burning.

Blessed Savior, let me find Thee!
Keep Thou me close to Thee, cast me not behind Thee!
Life of life, my heart Thou stillest,
Calm I rest on Thy breast, all this void Thou fillest.

Thee, dear Lord, with heed I'll cherish;
Live to Thee and with Thee, dying, shall not perish;
But shall dwell with Thee for ever,
Far on high, in the joy that can alter never.

Written in 1653 by Paul Gerhardt (1607-1676)
Translated by Catherine Winkworth (1827-1878)

Christmastime is Here...

My dear one, 

This first day of Christmas break began with an uncomfortable headache for which I was resolved to avoid taking my customary ibuprofen. My attempts to combat the pain with peppermint essential oil and drinking lots of water were unsuccessful, and by the time I gave up and took some pills I was so nauseated that I couldn't even keep them down. By eveningtime, though still with no appetite, I was feeling well enough to attend a concert featuring a local professional choral group. Afterwards I strolled through the beautifully decorated Main St. downtown, enjoying the lights strung in the trees and the festive storefront windows. I now relax here back at home with a warm afghan wrapped around my shoulders. My steaming mug of spiced cider sits beside me and the strains of John Rutter Christmas carols fill my apartment. I have written up my to-do list for tomorrow's last-minute chores and errands, for this weekend I leave town to visit family for the holidays. Could this be my last holiday season alone without you? Oh that it could be true!

Missing you terribly,
Me

One of my favorite Christmas hymns

Thou Who Wast Rich
by Frank Houghton (1894-1972)

Thou who wast rich beyond all splendor,
All for love's sake becamest poor;
Thrones for a manger didst surrender,
Sapphire-paved courts for stable floor.
Thou who wast rich beyond all splendor,
All for love's sake becamest poor.

Thou who art God beyond all praising,
All for love's sake becamest Man;
Stooping so low, but sinners raising
Heavenward by Thine eternal plan.
Thou who art God beyond all praising,
All for love's sake becamest Man.

Thou who art love beyond all telling,
Saviour and King, we worship Thee.
Emmanuel, within us dwelling,
Make us what Thou wouldst have us be.
Thou who art love beyond all telling
Saviour and King, we worship Thee. 

(Read the history behind this hymn here.)

The Wish That I Wish Tonight

My dear one,
Last night I watched a delightful old comedy from 1945 ("Christmas in Connecticut"). Here's a clip to give you a taste...

It would have been perfect if I was watching it snuggled up next to you. But then again, maybe you have no use for cheesy little films such as this. Oh well, one can dream...

I'm wishing that I may,

I'm wishing that I might

Have the wish that I wish tonight.

I've told my lucky star

The wish that I made,

And every time so far,

She's come to my aid.

It may not be today,

It may not be tonight,

But I'm sure it will be alright.

And maybe by tomorrow,

If I wish with all my might,

I might have the wish I wish tonight.

(by M. K. Jerome and Jack Scholl, 

as sung in "Christmas in Connecticut")

Created for eternity

Excerpt from A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken:

If, indeed, we all have a kind of appetite for eternity, we have allowed ourselves to be caught up in a society that frustrates our longing at every turn. Half our inventions are advertised to save time—the washing machine, the fast car, the jet flight—but for what? Never were people more harried by time: by watches, by buzzers, by time clocks, by precise schedules, by the beginning of the programme. There is, in fact, some truth in ‘the good old days’: no other civilisation of the past was ever so harried by time.

And yet, why not? Time is our natural environment. We live in time as we live in the air we breathe. And we love the air—who has not taken deep breaths of pure, fresh country air, just for the pleasure of it? How strange that we cannot love time. It spoils our loveliest moments. Nothing quite comes up to expecta­tions because of it. We alone: animals, so far as we can see, are unaware of time, untroubled. Time is their natural environment. Why do we sense that it is not ours?

C. S. Lewis, in his second letter to me at Oxford, asked how it was that I, as a product of a materialistic universe, was not at home there. ‘Do fish complain of the sea for being wet? Or if they did, would that fact itself not strongly suggest that they had not always been, or would not always be, purely aquatic creatures?’ Then, if we complain of time and take such joy in the seemingly timeless moment, what does that suggest?

It suggests that we have not always been or will not always be purely temporal creatures. It suggests that we were created for eternity. Not only are we harried by time, we seem unable, despite a thousand generations, even to get used to it. We are always amazed at it—how fast it goes, how slowly it goes, how much of it is gone. Where, we cry, has the time gone? We aren’t adapted to it, not at home in it. If that is so, it may appear as a proof, or at least a powerful suggestion, that eternity exists and is our home.

The Holdfast, by George Herbert

"The Holdfast" by George Herbert, from The Temple (1633):

I threatened to observe the strict decree
          Of my deare God with all my power & might.
          But I was told by one, it could not be;
Yet I might trust in God to be my light.

Then will I trust, said I, in him alone.
          Nay, ev’n to trust in him, was also his:
          We must confesse that nothing is our own.
Then I confesse that he my succour is:

But to have nought is ours, not to confesse
          That we have nought. I stood amaz’d at this,
          Much troubled, till I heard a friend expresse,
That all things were more ours by being his.
          What Adam had, and forfeited for all,
          Christ keepeth now, who cannot fail or fall.

If I should venture all for God...

John Bunyan:

If I should venture all for God, I engaged God to take care of my concerns; but if I forsook Him in His ways, for fear of any trouble that should come to me or mine, then I should not only falsify my profession, but should count also that my concerns were not so sure if left at God's feet while I stood to and for His name, as they would be if they were under my own care, though with the denial of the way of God.

God is in the middle of my circumstances

Paul David Tripp: 

God is using the difficulties of the here and now to transform you, that is, to rescue you from you. And because he loves you, he will willingly interrupt or compromise your momentary happiness in order to accomplish one more step in the process of rescue and transformation, which he is unshakably committed to. When you begin to get on God's paradigm page, life not only makes sense (the things you face are not irrational troubles, but transforming tools) but immediately becomes more hopeful. There is hope for you because God is in the middle of your circumstances, and he is using them to mold you into what he created you to be.

Psalm 66

Verses 8-12, 16, 20...
    Bless our God, O peoples;
        let the sound of His praise be heard,
    who has kept our soul among the living
        and has not let our feet slip.
    For You, O God, have tested us;
        You have tried us as silver is tried.
    You brought us into the net;
        You laid a crushing burden on our backs;
    You let men ride over our heads;
        we went through fire and through water;
    yet You have brought us out to a place of abundance.
    Come and hear, all you who fear God,
        and I will tell what He has done for my soul.
    Blessed be God,
        because He has not rejected my prayer
        or removed His steadfast love from me!

Psalms like this one are somewhat bittersweet for me, for I wish I could sing them honestly. But right now these words seem like a distant promise to which I'm striving furtively to cling and believe.

Is it true that He has kept my soul and has not let my feet slip? Can I testify that He has brought me out to a place of abundance despite the trials and burdens He has ordained for me? Do I have a song of praise for what He has done for my soul?

Or has He rejected my prayer and removed His steadfast love for me? 

I would do anything to catch a glimpse of what He is doing with my life! O Lord, illumine my eyes that I may learn to see my circumstances not with the eye of the flesh but the vision of faith.
  
    Let him who walks in darkness
        and has no light
    trust in the name of the LORD
        and rely on his God. (Isaiah 50:10)

When we cannot see our way

When we cannot see our way,

Let us trust and still obey;

He who bids us forward go,

Cannot fail the way to show.

Though the sea be deep and wide,

Though a passage seem denied,

Fearless, let us still proceed,

Since the Lord vouchsafes to lead.

Though it be the gloom of night,

Though we see no ray of light,

Since the Lord Himself is there,

'Tis not meet that we should fear.

Night with Him is never night,

Where He is, there all is light;

When He calls us, why delay?

They are happy who obey.

Be it ours, then, while we're here,

Him to follow without fear;

Where He calls us, there to go;

What He bids us, that to do.

Thomas Kelly (1818)

[Listen to a beautiful setting here.]