Themes of the Trilogy: the Song
Can praise ascend when nights are long,
And blackened skies refuse the dawn?
Can a heavy heart burst forth to sing,
Defy the silence of midnight’s sting?
The song in the dark is one of the most powerful images of hope; we find it beside Paul and Silas in prison (Acts 16), among the Israelites marching into battle with praise music (2 Chronicles 20), and even as Jesus and His disciples sing a passover hymn together the night before He is to be crucified (Matthew 26:30). Because music is so intrinsically associated with joy, it feels out of place—almost eerie—in these scenes of trial and terror. But that is what makes it so powerful.
Hope is not a pair of softly folded hands, and serenely shut eyes; it is a war cry spat through gritted teeth as bloodied knuckles cling relentlessly to the foot of the cross. It is a flame cutting across the dark; the sun thrusting back the night. And it is the heavy heart bursting forth to sing.
Although all three books in the Tiding Bearer Trilogy paint with hues of hope, book 2, Song of the Tiding Bearer, is positively dripping with it—and with darker strokes of heartache, defeat, and weariness. Hope is best defined by the circumstances which it overcomes and, like with faith, the nature of the One in Whom it is placed.
The Circumstances
Psalm 23’s green pastures and quiet streams have provided a safe haven for believers throughout the ages, myself included. But as inhabitants of a fallen world, our experience seldom reflects these tranquil scenes; more often we feel surrounded by the sheer cliffs and deep shadows of the Valley of Death (verse 4). Christians are not immune to hardship and heartbreak, and despite the assurance and comfort we have in Christ, the pain is no less raw; the isolation no less lonely; the questions no less gnawing. In the darkness of the Shadow of Death, where praise is most powerful and light shines the brightest, we find our throats too dry to sing, and our hands too heavy to lift the flame.
And the Good Shepherd knows this.
Rather than shame us for our weakness and doubts, the Bible, which encompasses every aspect of the human experience, abounds with the heartbroken cries of God’s people, pressed to the breaking point and unable to go on. One of the most powerful of these cries is found in Lamentations 3. The painful, bitter language contrasts Psalm 23 in many surprisingly specific ways, almost serving as an anti-psalm, a desperate attempt to reconcile God’s promises of prosperity, with His people’s experience of woe:
“I am led into darkness, shutting out all light. I am besieged with anguish, surrounded by distress. I am buried like the dead, walled in and bound in chains. My cries and my prayers are shut out. Helpless and devastated, arrows fill my heart. My cup is full of bitterness and my food is gravel.”
In Song of the Tiding Bearer, this lamentation serves as a symbol of the heroes’ progressing hardship. Known by tiding bearers as the sacred Hymn of Hope, its verses come to Mavis throughout the story, a haunting mirror of her overwhelm and fear.
Song of the Tiding Bearer, p. 260
But this isn’t where the scripture passage ends, and it isn’t where Mavis’ story ends either. The real power of hope is its ability to soar high, no matter the depths from which it must rise. And that is exactly what happens in Jeremiah’s lament as he recognizes one game-changing factor.
The One
After baring his soul for twenty verses, Jeremiah makes a gritty and jaw-dropping statement, one that can only be appreciated within the full context of his suffering: “Yet I dare to hope.”
Bold. Defiant. Arresting.
Jeremiah lifts his head head, the tears still drying as his face sets like stone, eyes blazing with passion. And why? Why does he dare to hope? What could possibly give him the guts to stand up and keep fighting after all he’s endured? “My heart will not forget His great faithfulness, for His love never ends; His mercies renew each morning. Though He bring grief, He also shows compassion, for the greatness of His love is unfailing. I will hope in Him.”
Faithful. Merciful. Unfailing.
This is the foundation for our hope, too. It is the cross to which our bleeding fingers cling; the wick which holds our wavering flame; the melody which lifts our trembling voices. We have hope because we have a God who will never fail. “Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love” (Romans 8:38).
It is God’s very heart which gives us reason to hope, He Himself the answer to all our questionings. And hope will last forever (1 Corinthians 13:13).
Be inspired by gritty hope and scripture-drenched stories in the Tiding Bearer Trilogy, and if you enjoyed this post, check out the other articles on the blog about the series’ themes! Until next time, stay kind, curious, and courageous. <3 <3 <3