Monday, August 27, 2012

But God ... Reflections on Sleepless Nights

Battles are best waged 
under cover of darkness.

By day, a siege is easier to fend. 
Obstacles lie exposed, 
reinforcements stand ready, 
troops take action - quickly rallied.

But in the night ...
Lord, have mercy, in the night ... 


Hope is eviscerated from our hearts
and doubts rise up to fearsome heights;
the obsessive specter of 'what might be' 
steals the air from the room. 

Every good psalmist - ever since the first -
knows victory lies in moving from 'round here - to up there
... just got to be.

Slowly, a battle cry forms with lips of light:
But God ... !

And joy comes -- sometimes, even before morning...

 
Nina Simone - If He Changed My Name, Paris Olympia, 1968 



Karen Angela Ellis holds a Master of Fine.Art from the Yale University School of Drama and a Master of Art in Religion from Westminster Theological Seminary.  She is a multidisciplinary performing artist and educator, happily married to Carl Ellis, Jr.  

Karen writes about theology, life, culture and the arts. You can follow her on Twitter @KarAngEllis. 

"But God ... Reflections on Sleepless Nights"  ©EllisPerspectives 2012

3 comments:

  1. She's playing in A minor. Is that a black key?

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  2. Yes and amen to this post. I couldn't agree more wholeheartedly!

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  3. Thank you Karen. An accurate description of night battles...But God!
    Vinny

    ReplyDelete