The Encircling Gloom

There come to mind these moving words of a cherished hymn: “Lead, kindly Light, amid th’ encircling gloom; Lead thou me on! The night is dark, and I am far from home;… Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see The distant scene – one step enough for me.” #Sometime or other in the lives of most of

us we see what seems to be an encircling gloom. We all have days of discouragement. We all need the assurance of faith – faith in ourselves, faith in the future. Sometimes on difficult and discouraging days we may feel that we see an encircling gloom in the world around us, and wonder about evil and injustice and wonder if there is enough moral courage or personal commitment to overcome them. And at such times – and at all times, we need the light that leads. We need faith is the great power and purpose that overrule in the lives of men and keep creation in its course. But just because it is sometimes hard to see beyond the “encircling gloom,” we shouldn’t believe that there is nothing beyond. This is one of the age old fallacies – the fallacy that suppose that what we don’t know doesn’t exist – that what we haven’t

seen isn’t there – hat what we don’t understand isn’t understandable. But there is so much that is true

that we can’t presently prove! There is so much that we can’t see that nevertheless exists! So much we don’t know that is real! As Shakespeare said it: “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,

than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”#”Lead, kindly Light,… one step enough for me… I do not ask to see the distant scene” – but it is there – as we shall sometimes see, with faith to take the next step –

with faith to walk into the future – which all of us must do – forever.