"God is not dead nor doth He sleep."

It has been a sobering couple of weeks both in a national sense with the horrific events in Conneticut and personally, with death, and sickness touching the lives of many that I love. 

I was thinking this morning about these things and was reminded of a Christmas carol. "I heard the bells on Christmas day," was written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in 1864. What many people may not know was that he wrote these words after a time of deep personal grief as well as national sorrow.

Longfellow lost his wife in a horrible fire in 1861, the same year in which the nation went to war; brother against brother. A few years later his son would be among the thousands wounded in that terrible war. 

In 1864 Longfellow penned these words; today we are familiar with 5 of the 7 verses as a Christmas carol.

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,

and wild and sweet

The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along

The unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,

A voice, a chime,

A chant sublime

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,

And with the sound

The carols drowned

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,

And made forlorn

The households born

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;

"For hate is strong,

And mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The Wrong shall fail,

The Right prevail,

With peace on the earth, good-will to men."

These are the words of hope for dark times like this--"God is not dead,not doth He sleep; The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, with peace on earth, good-will to men."

Jesus Christ came as a baby but He grew into a Man and died to save this sin-cursed world. But the reason that we celebrate Christmas, and ring those bells, is because His death was swallowed up in victory! He is alive and we serve a God who lives and reigns and rules in the hearts of men! All glory to Him who is the Prince of Peace!

May your heart be encouraged.