Monday, August 30, 2010

The Nights Preceding The Solstices

It was sometime in May when I visited Paris. (My advise - do not go there alone/single. You will be tempted to have one of the opposite gender by your side). I unpacked, informed some friends I had arrived, watched some movies then took a nap. I woke up refreshed at about 7pm, had dinner and decided to go to sleep against my course the next day. Next thing, I received a call from my friends asking me to hang out with them.
"It is late", I responded, eyeing the soft, comfortable bed in my hotel room.
"The day has just begun, nobody goes to bed by 7:30 in Paris during this season", they replied.
I drew aside the drapes in my room. Lo and behold, the sun was up like 3pm in Nigeria. That is how it was till about 11pm that day/night. As I woke up late the next morning, I simply muttered, “This is the real meaning of longer days, shorter nights”.


It was sometime in November when I visited Aberdeen. I woke up early to catch the 8:30 bus. By 7:30am, I was done with all preparations. I stepped outside hoping to get a glimpse of the area around me. To my surprise, it was as black as night – 12 midnight in Nigeria. I went back to my room to take a nap since it was still night to me. To cut the long story short, I missed the bus and went late to class. I told myself, “My geography teacher never really explained the concept of longer nights, shorter days”.
Geography/astronomy has the different seasons, and the Solstices in some cultures are considered to start, separate or fall in the middle of the seasons. These Solstices are marked by different lengths of days and nights.

In life we experience different seasons, and we have the “nights” as part of them. The night in the context represents periods of adversity, trials, disappointments, despair, overwhelming confusion, uncertainties, obscurity or when you feel God is silent. I don’t know if you have passed through one of these or if you are going through one.

The days/nights preceding the Solstices taught me that though they are composed of nights, the nights associated with each day was of a different length. Bringing this to life, you might go through a situation in 2 months which took someone else 5 years to pass through. Similarly, you might face a situation for 1 year, which took someone else 3 months to go through. An example is of 2 friends who applied for jobs within the same organization and were both successful. One had to wait one month before she was called to start, the other had to wait for a year before she started. Imagine if you were in the shoes of the one who had to wait one year. Won’t you have felt inadequate, hopeless or as though what you were believing God for won’t come to pass?


Yes, in life, our nights have different lengths. The time you have to wait will be different from when someone else would have to wait, so do not compare. In some cases it might appear that the other person did not wait, because everything seemed to have happened so fast. You never know. What is sure is that “as long as the earth remains, there will be day and night” [Genesis 8:22]. No matter the length of your night, you will surely see the day. Weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning [Psalm 30:5]. And you can be sure that God, who neither sleeps nor slumbers, is working all through the night in your favour. If He seems silent to you, do not lose hope for He says, “I will watch quietly from My dwelling place…” [Isaiah 18:4] yet working for your good. If you have to wait, I pray God gives you the grace and strength to wait on Him. God has made everything beautiful for its own time.

Related Devotionals From The Heart Of  A Loving Father – Working All Through The Night and I look On From My Dwelling Place.
 

22 comments:

Jennifer A. said...

Well written. The time remains the same in the darkness, even if it is 7.00a.m in the morning. Just the thing I needed to read this morning, thanks.

~Sirius~ said...

This Post gave me a soothing relief feeling.

I just have to wait for my morning.

olaoluwatomi said...

Thanks for this and the prayers:) Tomi

Unknown said...

I love this Rita.

God indeed makes all things beautiful in his own time.

God bless you always and have a great week.

yhurmie said...

''And you can be sure that God, who neither sleeps nor slumbers, is working all through the night in your favour. If He seems silent to you, do not lose hope...''

So true... my lil sis by 6years got married sometime back and has a daughter now, u can imagine that my night seemed like twas gonna last forever; now that 'mine' has turned up in a distinctly miraculous way, it proves yet again that even if God seems silent, He aint asleep but is working all through the night in our favour.

Thank you for another great post,Rita.

Kafo said...

this is very true ooo and the analogy is very applicable.

sometimes here in the summer the sun doesn't set until 9:30pm and our spiritual walk may also have moments like that

Joy Akut said...

just knowing he never takes his eyes off me for a second, gives courage to walk through the night. thanks for this.

olusimeon said...

love love this..
there's nothing like hearing the truth from someone else.. it adds to your joy some how..
p.s.. i was already laughing at that point where you said, you went back inside..i knew you'd miss the bus..
:)
bless your heart..

Myne said...

I enjoyed reading this. Brought back some nice memories of my time in Edinburgh too. And the message, very apt...

Enkay said...

The great comfort of weeping at night is that Joy will surely come in the morning. Surely!

Great post Rita.

doll (retired blogger) said...

am a living testimony to the fact that morning comes after each night

jhazmyn said...

:)....for some strange reason this post made tears drop from my face, not from sadness but from the depth of surety in Gods word...Bless you Rita

Unknown said...

"No matter the length of your night, you will surely see the day. Weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning [Psalm 30:5]."

That's the part that got me! Rita, this is awesome. No matter the length of the night, no matter the fierceness of the pain, no matter the agony of the situation, what matters is that JOY is just at its brink of coming... just as the dawn never fails...

Blessings, Rita.

- LDP

Modupe said...

The post made me tearful too..simply because i can relate to it...
God bless you Rita...
God bless you real good.

Anonymous said...

Thank you, this is really uplifting

David C Brown said...

"Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning", Psalm 30: 5.

Is this why Genesis 1 says, "And there was evening, and there was morning - the first day ..."?



I didn't know you had been to Scotland!

blackgold said...

I just finished listening to a message by Pastor Paul Adefarasin then read your blog,both were saying the same thing.In mouth of 2 witnesses a thing is established.Thanks

Olufunke said...

What is sure is that “as long as the earth remains, there will be day and night” [Genesis 8:22].

No matter the length of your night, you will surely see the day.

This made sense to me

More grace Rita!

Rita said...

For those whom I did not send a comment to directly:-

@~Sirius~: -...Your morning will definitely come.

@Tomi:- You are welcome.

@Naijalines:-Thank you so much.

@yhurmie:- This is a beautiful testimony. God is indeed consistent and faithful.

@Kafo:-Amazing what we can learn from the natural.

@Modupe: - You know how encouraging you have been to me...I should be telling you God bless you.

@Anonymous: - Thank God.

@David C Brown: - You have given me "word for thougth"...

@Blackgold: - Thank God. God must be telling you something.

John said...

Thats awesome i love this post.

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Patrinas Pencil said...

very interesting - and funny beginning. I so appreciated the ending scriptures. All of them spoke to my heart. I needed to be reminded!

God bless you dear
Patrina <")>><

Anonymous said...

The 'dawn' always justifies the wait.