Look out into the world
On a soft winter night
All is calm
All is bright
Can you feel the whisper of peace
A warmth begins to swell
And deep down in your heart
You know that all is well
In a world cold as stone
Full of grief, hurt and pain
A Precious Child was born
Given to save
He brings hope to the hurting
Strength to those who grieve
He gives faith to the hopeless
And to those who don’t believe
There is reason for rejoicing
Let our hearts together sing
God has given us a song
Let the praises ring
For God so loved His children
That He gave His only son
Darkness has been overcome
In Jesus, we have won
If there’s sadness in your heart tonight
Please listen as we tell
Of a peace that overwhelms the soul
Yes tonight, all is well.
This poem was written during December of my senior year in high school. The Senior Choir was singing 'All Is Well' for our Christmas choir concert, and I loved the song so much it inspired a poem. I don't recall how it happened but somehow my choir director discovered I had written it, and after reading it, asked if I would be willing to read it on the night of our concert, right before we sang 'All Is Well'. I very reluctantly agreed. If there is anything I despise doing, it's public speaking, even if it's just a simple reading.
I remember the nervous feeling well, as the silence before 'All Is Well' prompted me to walk forward with shaking legs to the mic that awaited me. The gym we were performing in at Western Christian High School was mostly dark, with all the lights dimmed except those soft few illuminating the choir and me. This was less than a year after Trish had passed away. Her classmates and I, just seventeen-year-old kids who had been learning so much about life since then, had the memory of that February of the previous year still fresh in our minds. Trisha would have been singing in the choir with us, had the Lord not sovereignly willed to take her home; her parents were also in the audience, fast-approaching their first Christmas without their precious daughter.
If you ask my parents what it felt like in the gym that night, as I walked up to the mic, I am sure that they remember it vividly and would be able to describe it to you well. I remember my father telling me later that "you could have heard a pin drop in that gym", and that he had been overcome with a desire to run down the bleachers and hug me, to dispel some of the pain and sadness he was watching me carry.
I am sure that my voice quivered a little but I hoped that it was clear, and that more importantly the message was clear too. As comforting as our earthly fathers are to us when we hurt, how much more infinitely comforting is our dear Heavenly Father? His peace overwhelms the soul. He knows our burdens on the deepest level. He gave the greatest, most heart-wrenching sacrifice He could give, all so that darkness would be overcome, and His children would have eternal life with Him. He saves us from the pain and sadness of this life; just as He swept Trish from this life to enter that Heavenly rest at seventeen years old, so we too will be caught up in His loving, comforting embrace where all will be well, for all eternity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thotoEXt42E
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