In 1833 a young English clergyman, John Henry Newman, was traveling in Italy when he grew gravely ill. He was nursed by his servant for nearly a month before he finally had the strength to carry on. He boarded a boat, aching to return home and do the work he was ordained to do. But the boat soon stalled in the Strait of Bonifacio, surrounded by dangerous cliffs and shrouded in dense fog, further delaying his journey.
John Henry Newman was driven by a desire to do God’s work, and yet it seemed that darkness was closing in on him from every direction. He wrote that God “has not created me for naught. I shall do good, I shall do His work; I shall be an angel of peace.”1 Imagine his despair at being alone in the darkness, adrift with nothing but his desires and no means to accomplish them.
How often do we, with our good intentions, seem shrouded in darkness—helpless and adrift? Perhaps it is a spiritual darkness that haunts us, a physical trial, or an emotional wound that refuses to heal. In these moments we must find the courage to stand on the bow of our own ship, stare off into the darkness, and plead as John Henry Newman did:
Lead, kindly Light, amid th’ encircling gloom;
Lead thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home;
Lead thou me on!
Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene—one step enough for me.2
Like John Henry Newman, we too can be angels of peace in a world of turmoil and darkness, not only for ourselves, but for all those around us. In times of despair, our prayers should be for strength, for the courage to take one more step. For as the Savior promised, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”3
Program #3888