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