Been searching for inspiration today and found a little spark in the first and last stanzas of Barry Cornwall’s poem, The Nights — Oh, the summer night has a smile of light, and she sits on a sapphire throne; whilst the sweet winds load her with garlands of odor, from the bud to the rose o’er-blown… Oh, the night brings sleep to the green woods deep; to the bird of the woods its nest; to care soft hours; to life new powers; to the sick and the weary, — Rest!

He writes a beautiful poem about the nights of the four seasons. I think I like the nights of summer best, sitting on the porch as twilight rides the sun’s coattail down the horizon and quietly introduces the darkness to the night world. The smiles of daylight turn into the calm sighs of night and the birds roost with their heads tucked contentedly into their wings. The weary rest and the sick pray for peace and restful sleep.

I think the summer night has a light in the milky moon and the twinkling stars and she gazes at the sapphire canvas of the night sky, waiting for the sunrise to wake the day. But the twilight, that obscure time of day immediately following sunset or immediately before sunrise, is mysterious in its shadowy quiet beauty. In Genesis 1:14-16 we read that God created two lights, “the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night.” As the light changes from day to night and night to day we have the magical time of twilight that hovers gently over the landscape.

I think we experience twilight in our lives, too. Life takes a turn through illness or death and we began to wonder if our faith is strong enough to carry us through the storms of life and question why bad things happen to good people. We experience a twilight in our faith. We can seek God during these times of darkness through our prayers. We can read the Bible to strengthen our faith and find comfort in God’s words. As Christians we fight temptation and learn to stand strong on our faith as God stands beside us. Sometimes God will hold us up till we get the strength to stand up by ourselves.

When we get comfortable in our faith and learn to trust God is always on our side, we learn to be patient with the answers to our prayers. He might lead us down a path we don’t understand but when we reach the destination we’ll understand he knows best. I think God is closest to us when we’re hurting the most. Psalms 34:18 reads, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

If we lay our troubles in God’s hands he will give us peace and hope. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight,” Proverbs 3: 5-8.

To experience God’s peace, we need to thank God daily for all our blessings and tell him our needs and worries through prayer. He will lift the burdens off our shoulders and bring sunshine into our lives. God always has our best interest at heart.

“In the twilight of life, God will not judge us on our earthly possession and human success, but rather on how much we have loved.” — St. John of the Cross