“…and then a chill blast came in which the torches flickered and went out, and could not be rekindled…He (Glimli) stumbled on until he was crawling like a beast on the ground and felt that he could endure no more: he must either find an ending and escape or run back in madness. Suddenly….light grew, and lo! the company passed through another gateway”* A little glimpse into one of my favorite books made into my favorite movie trilogy.

Middle Earth was in turmoil and it seemed like the inhabitants would not survive this onslaught from the evil lord Sauran. Their world was crashing in and the times were dark. Their only hope was with a man from the line of the kings, Aragon. Unwilling at first, he finally realized that he was the chosen one to lead his people into battle and into freedom. But before he would experience freedom, life would get much worse. He would have to enter one of the darkest of places first before he would experience the light. That is where we find him and his companions: lights out, pitch black. They were longing for the end to happen and thinking about returning to where he came from all at the same time.

The saying goes, “it is always darkest before the dawn”. As the moon is leaving the sky and the sun is yet to come you experience a time of darkness like no other. So close to the sun but yet it seems so far away. It is a cold, dark place to be and the only saving knowledge is that the sun will be soon to come.

We read in Exodus 5 that Moses (not unlike Aragon) was going to lead his people out of slavery but Pharaoh would make it much harder for them first; more bricks with no straw. It would be harder work and more consequences. So close to freedom but it must have felt so far away. They would have to experience the darkest part of the night before the dawn.

I wonder what would have happened if they would have given up at that point (just before their deliverance) just because it was such a dark time.

Then I think about all the times I have given up just before the dawn. All the times I wanted to give up because it was getting hard. Or the times I almost gave in but the answer came the next morning and I was so grateful I didn’t throw in the towel. It is truly darkest before dawn, but when dawn comes it always makes sense and the dark was worth it. We just might have to stumble on and crawl like a beast to see the light first.

*(JRR Tolkien, The Passing of the Grey Company, The Return of the King)