Favorite Poems of Hope by others

Back in 2004 I ran a contest that read as follows:

          There are times for all of us, when we face darkness that promises no end. Life is hard. Sometimes it gets so dark, we feel we can’t go on. It can’t be fixed this side of heaven. Dark night of the soul; we walk alone.
          As a Christian, I know that despair is an illusion that makes mockery of the truth - that God loves us totally and cares for all our needs. That heart-knowledge doesn’t change the hard emotional reality of taking up the cross and following Him down that hard road, though. So… how do we cope?

          For myself, I hate the pie-in-the-sky-by-&-by-when-I-die sort of sentimental fluff that is offered as hope by well-meaning Christians when we face tragedy. Such stuff, while true, does nothing to help me cope with the death of a child, a broken marriage, the physical suffering of someone I love. Christ never promised to take away our suffering when He suffered for us.

          So… here’s my challenge to you. Write a poem (old or new) that offers REAL hope I can hold onto when I despair. I want poetry I can read when I’m feeling despair, that will give me a lifeline to cling to, a pinpoint of light to look toward. You don’t have to take the pain away. I will be looking for something that keeps me going without minimizing the pain of now.
Be my Simon of Cyrene. Help me finish this work I’ve been given.



Thanks to the incredible generosity of the contest donors, there were 72,720 gift points left over after the awards. After long searching, I decided to donate them to

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for use in their gentle support offer to those who are struggling. May we all bring hope to this hopeless world!

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Deep Within  (E) The empty need within can be reached and satisfied. #570476 by Vivian

Heaven Waits  (E) Life may become so difficult we wish to escape. #573424 by Vivian

And now, for some other poems I've run across that offer true hope, not entered in the contest, but definitely worth reading! I'll keep adding more as I find them, so check back here now & then, and let me know of poems you think might fit here, too.

Exerpt from the lyrics to Blessed Be Your Name
by Matt Redman

Blessed be your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's all as it should be
Blessed be your name

Blessed be your name
On the road marked with suffering
Oh, There's pain in the offering
Blessed be your name

Every blessing you pour out,
I turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say...
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your glorious name

A Short Walk in the Mist  (E) A poem that means more than is written in words. #607875 by vortexsg6

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...and last but not least, my own collection of feeble attempts to express hope with mere words:

Poems of Hope  (E) Hope despite the contradictions of this life #878806 by Lobelia is truly blessed