There is Hope: Carry me home

Description

Looking through my window, I see the evening sky.
As shadows grow longer. the day says goodbye
Though darkness closes in it’s really good to know.
The night is not forever mornings coming soon.

looking at the Ocean. I see a mighty storm.
The wind and waves fury rage war with the shore
Though cliffs begin to fall and sand is washed away
The ancient rock remains firm in these stormy days

I can hear a love song Its playing in your ear
A song of redemption for all that can hear
When the world closes in and my heart starts to fear
My rescue comes from heaven Carrying me home

Carry me home to where I belong
Carry me home to where I am strong
You carry me home into the promised land
Where milk and honey flows
My rescue comes from heaven
Carrying me home

I’ve been running up this hill for what seems like an age
My legs are now weary my bones start to ache
When everything inside is falling to the floor
My rescue comes from heaven carrying me home

In 2023, my wife Jo and I moved to Robin Hood’s Bay so she could assume the post of overseeing six churches in the area. We knew from the outset that it was a beautiful place—but I did not yet realise how deeply its landscape, seasons, and rhythms would stir something creative and spiritual within me. Over time, the Bay became more than a home; it became, a mirror, a gentle voice revealing the heart of God.

One late winter afternoon, I watched from my window as the light faded across the moors. The sky, once bright over the heather, slowly gave way to dusk. A sadness touched me as the day slipped away, because it had been one of those crisp, clear days that feels like a gift in the midst of winter. Yet as the shadows stretched long, a quiet truth whispered to my heart: The night is not forever. Morning is coming.

So often our lives carry these same moments of dusk—where we must say goodbye to dreams that never unfolded, to hopes swallowed by regret, or to relationships we fear we have damaged beyond repair. We look at the darkness we have created or the darkness that has come upon us and wonder if morning will ever return. Yet Scripture tells us,
“Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5).

The heart of Christianity is this promise of morning—the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is the dawn that breaks every night, the light that no darkness can overcome (John 1:5). Because of Him, every season of sorrow is temporary, and no night— however long—can eclipse His returning light. His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22–23), and His grace greets us like sunrise.

As we learn to rest in this truth, we find that some of our best prayers are the ones we fall asleep whispering, trusting that God is already preparing the morning.

The Ancient Rocks Remain
Days later, I looked from the same window—but this time toward a brooding North Sea. The clouds thickened, the wind roared through the cracks of the frame, and the waves rose like living creatures, hurling themselves against the cliffs. The sea boiled and surged, pulling at everything it could reach and yet the rocks stood unmoved. Centuries of storms had come and gone, yet they remained—steadfast, strong, enduring.

Life has storms of its own—emotional, spiritual, relational. They come suddenly or slowly; they batter our confidence, threaten our security, and erode our sense of self. Plans crumble like cliffs, and hope can wash away like sand. We feel the pull of the waves and fear that we may be dragged under. But in the midst of this turbulence, we discover a deeper truth: we stand on an unshakable Rock.
“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer” (Psalm 18:2).

Christ is the sure foundation beneath our feet— unchanging, unmovable, eternal. While the world shifts and shakes, His love holds firm. The storms may rage, but the Rock remains.

And so, the promise of morning flows into the promise of foundation: dawn will come, and until it does, we do not stand alone in the dark or in the storm.

I Can Hear a Love Song
At the heart of new mornings and immovable rocks is one central truth: the love of God. Not a sentimental or fragile love, but a love refined through sacrifice and suffering—a love proven on the cross. This love is the steady melody beneath every moment of grace and mercy. It is a love song that plays not in the air but in the soul.
“I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3)

is the refrain that echoes behind every dawn. The same voice that calmed storms speaks over our fear:
“Do not be afraid, for I am with you” (Isaiah 41:10).

This love draws us, shelters us, restores us. It reminds us that even in silence, God is singing over us (Zephaniah 3:17).

When the world closes in, when we feel the storm’s howl inside our own chest, the love of God becomes our sanctuary. It is His presence that steadies us. It is His promise that reassures us. It is His voice that calls us home.

This flowing river of divine love leads us toward one more truth—perhaps the most personal and tender of all.

My Rescue Comes from Heaven
There is a steep hill in Robin Hood’s Bay—the kind you climb halfway before realising the hardest part is still ahead. Life gives us many hills like this. Some of them are physical, but most are the inner ones—the struggles that feel endless, heavy, and exhausting. Our legs shake, our hearts ache, and our strength runs out.

And it is precisely in that moment—when we cannot climb any further—that we encounter the extraordinary grace of God. Our rescue does not come from the strength of our legs but from the strength of His hands.
“My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:2).

“He will carry the lambs in His arms” (Isaiah 40:11).

We are not saved by endurance. We are saved by surrender. Christ is our rescuer, reaching down from heaven to lift us when we have no strength left. He carries us into the place of peace, into the land of promise, into rest we could never reach on our own.

Prayer
Lord Jesus, Light of the world,
thank You that the night is never forever and that Your mercies greet us with every dawn.
Thank You that in every storm You are our Rock—steady, sure, and unshakable.
Tune our hearts to hear Your love song, the gentle voice that calls us back to peace.
And when the hills of life grow steep and our strength fails,carry us with Your rescuing grace.
Lead us into the place of rest, hope, and renewal. Hold us fast until morning breaks.
Amen.