Gate of the Year

A hundred years ago, a lecturer at the London School of Economics had a collection of poems published in a volume called “The Desert.” Although Minnie Louise Haskins was not well-known as a poet, one of the poems entitled “God Knows” gained public attention and acclaim when Queen Mother Elizabeth handed a copy to her husband, King George VI, and he quoted from it (the first two stanzas as printed below) in his 1939 Christmas broadcast to the British Empire.

This was in the early days of the Second World War, and at the time no one was certain Britain could win their engagement in it. The poem, which we know as “The Gate of the Year,” remained a source of comfort to the Queen for the rest of her life, and she had its words engraved on brass plaques at the gates of Windsor Castle’s Memorial Chapel where the King was interred. Subsequently, the words were read at her own state funeral and she also was buried at the chapel after her death in 2002.

I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year,
'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.'

And he replied, 'Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way!'

So I went forth and finding the Hand of God trod gladly into the night.
He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone east.

So heart be still! What need our human life to know if God hath comprehension?
In all the dizzy strife of things both high and low, God hideth his intention.

God knows. His will is best. The stretch of years which wind ahead,
So dim to our imperfect vision, are clear to God.

Our fears are premature. In Him all time hath full provision.
Then rest; until God moves to lift the veil from our impatient eyes,

When, as the sweeter features of life's stern face we hail,
Fair beyond all surmise, God's thought around His creatures our minds shall fill.

We are at the beginning of a new year, a gateway to some uncertainties as we face our country’s economic crisis, new leadership at the national level, environmental challenges, war, humanitarian extremities, and political, cultural and spiritual unrest. What are we to do? Are we at the mercy of the overwhelming tide of trouble?

No, put your hand into the hand of God. That is better than a light to see what is ahead, for just seeing it does not necessarily mean the ability to cope with it all alone. Seeing what is ahead could rob us of joys as well; who would want to trade mere knowledge for the thrill of an unexpected gift, the pleasure of a new friendship, or the satisfaction of a hard-earned accomplishment? He sees the path, and we can trust Him.

Put your hand into the hand of God. That is safer than a known way, for although a path may feel familiar, there may be new, unseen dangers for which we cannot possibly prepare in advance—figuratively equivalent to an unmarked bridge out, a ten-car pileup in a blinding snowstorm, or a gunman waiting to assault. Walking only familiar paths might make us feel safe, but it would also mean no exciting challenges, no hope or anticipation, no growth. He knows the path, and we can trust Him.


MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)

Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com