LONG NIGHTS

   
"Though i walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life. You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes. With your right hand, you save me."
 Psalm 138:7 (NIV)

The calmness in a day begins when darkness gradually  takes the place of the scorching sun. It is when the hissing sounds of our busy activities dwindle and the peace of the evening sweeps across the skies. The clouds quietly begin to gather and the beauty of nature becomes evident. The coolness of the evening precedes an even more desired moment. The moment when we naturally come to rest in the comfort of our homes, in the quiet of our rooms and the luxury of our beds. That moment, when we spend time alone consulting our inner senses, cuddled by our pillows and inspired by the coolness of the evening breeze. Night and for that matter darkness is a specially designed moment by God Almighty, for the rest of our bodies.
Night was approaching in Gethsemane, when our Lord Jesus laid on the cross. When he was in pain, when the burden of our sins weighed so heavily on his shoulders. The moment when he cried, that,.......it is finished, it was the darkness and the night that came to end his misery and pain he bore on the cross.
We all desire dusk to fall on our problems. It is in the quiet hours of the night when we pause to reflect on our deeds, assess our efforts and make plans for the future. The night is a defining moment in our lives, a moment to be desired and celebrated.
However, when it takes too long for dawn to approach, making way for daybreak, our hitherto worries and afflictions that were supposed to disappear with the fading of the darkness and the emerging brightness of a new day seem to worsen the more. When our night takes too long, when darkness covers us for long times that seem unending, our pain multiplies and we get worried the more.
We all at certain points in our life find ourselves in situations that appear to carry no hope. There are times when we are overburdened by the numerous problems in our lives and we see no end in sight. These moments can best be described as long nights.
There is a man the Bible describes as a righteous and upright man. In fact, God had the courage to tell Satan in the face that there was non like him in the earth, a man that feared God and eschewed  evil. This man was the richest man among all the men in the east. He had a beautiful family of ten children and a supportive wife. In his hay days, he best fitted to be described as the personification of our individual aspirations in life.
Job had all that you and i would ever desire, until a sudden darkness befell him. Job lost all his possessions and children. He was plagued with indescribable diseases that spread from the crown of his head to the sole of his feet. He experienced the longest night in the history of humanity until the restoration of all his possessions came as a beacon light of hope to end his long night of pain and misery.
I also share the story of a young man who travelled from Africa, specifically the then Gold Coast (now Ghana) to America to further his education. This man was stricken down by tuberculosis that saw him being hospitalised for over a year. He had no family or friend with him in that whole year. All by himself, he bore the pain of solitary confinement and prolonged silence around him. He had a long night.
But that was not all. Although the night was long, it offered him the opportunity to reach and tap into his innermost potentials, which proved useful to him in later years.
When we experience long nights, we can turn the persistent darkness in our lives to our advantage. The longer the night, the more time we should spend looking deep down our hearts and unravelling the hidden treasures therein. Long nights offers us the perfect time for rest and restoration of our bodies in preparation for brighter days ahead. It gives us the longest time possible to plan and prepare well for the days ahead. It is the time to make a thorough assessment of our lives, eliminate all unproductive attitudes and ventures and to substitute for better ones. Although long nights are long, they are worth the wait.
Long nights present us with a perfect opportunity to connect with the source of all true wisdom and understanding. it gives us ample time to pour our hearts to the lord and spend much time in secret with him alone.Although the night may be long, it restores us so much so that when the fullness of day erupts, we may be ready and fully equipped for every good work.
Last year, i received with utter dismay the plight of one of my personal role models from whom i have drawn much inspiration over the years. The founder of the General Youth for Christ  (GYC), an organisation of young adventist men and women in North America who also doubles as the Director for the Centre for Adventist Mission to Public University Students (CAMPUS) had announced his moral fall. Dr Samuel Koranteng Pipim, holds a PhD in systematic theology and a degree in engineering.
He had an affair with a woman who is not her wife during one of his missions abroad and so had to resign and submit himself to church discipline. His private sin had become public and he had to suffer the rebuke of friends and family. His foes did not miss the opportunity to rejoice over his moral fall. A man who had ministered to and inspired young men and women across the globe had to suffer the pain of disgrace and public ridicule. This happened at a time when his wife was battling with cancer and he had no employment. He went through hard and turbulent times. The year was spent in darkness and sorrow. It was a long night.
But at the dawn of a new day, he had emerged from the darkness with his hands full. He came out with a book entitled 6 More Chances - Success in the midst of failure. That was not all, he came out with a morning devotional series, My Songs in The Night, which is broadcasted by Metro New York Men's Ministries. He is now the director of  the Eagles Center for Leadership Development (www.eaglesonline.org). This is a living example of a man who took advantage of a long night to prepare for the dawn of a new day.
Are you going through any problems in life? have you had your fair share of the hard times this world has to offer? This is a message for you. As you go through this long night of failure, sickness, financial problems, disappointment, betrayal or rejection, do all you can to take advantage to prepare yourself for the dawn of a new day.
Spend this long night in prayer and communion with God. Let the coolness of the evening breeze inspire you to dream new dreams and to see new horizons. Do not be dismayed, whatever betide.
In this period, always repeat these four age-old words to yourself,............This too shall pass.
Beloved, your problems won't last forever. But as you go through this brief challenging and hard time, it is worth pausing for a moment to take advantage of assess yourself and come out a better person.
What matters is not how flat you fall to the ground, but what you pick with you when rising up........
Bless.....................