52: Stepping Forward into the Good Night
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
“Do not go gentle into that good night.”
DYLAN THOMAS WAS A WELSH POET who died at age 39, leaving a life of erratic behavior and alcoholism. Yet he wrote some powerful poems and is best known for the line above.
As I reflect on Thomas’s words at the end of this year, looking through the portal into the next year, I realize that we may know these words, yet they never really take hold in our lives.
I want to be one who lives out 2 Timothy 1:7 and allows the Holy Spirit to do what He is so good at —be the resurrection power in my life. When Paul wrote these words to Timothy, Timothy was grappling with leading the church in Ephesus. We understand from Acts 19:10 that this church had a huge outreach because all the Jews and Greeks living in the province of Asia heard the Word of the Lord. Surely Timothy was encouraged by Paul’s words.
I’m always asking myself what these early believers saw in the text that we may miss today. For example, consider the word self-control in 2 Timothy 1:7. In Greek, it’s a compound of two words: sōzō meaning salvation, deliverance, protection, or soundness and phroneō meaning mind. Together, they have a rich meaning of a mind that is saved and protected, a mind that is sound. It’s the opposite of panic, fear, and unreasonable thinking. It’s a mind that is thinking correctly.
That is why Jesus came to Bethlehem and went to the cross —that through the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit we can have a sound mind. Romans 8:14 says, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” The Greek word translated as led is agō. Those reading this would have seen a picture of someone extending his or her hand to another to gently lead the person along a path that is already known and understood. The person is saying, “I know the dangers and where to step and where not to.”
That is the mission of the Holy Spirit. Will you reach out your hand this year and grasp His? For He won’t take yours against your will.
One exercise you might want to do this week is to make two lists. In the first list, record what you will not take into the new year. In the second list, record what you will take. I challenge each of you, and myself, to not go gently into that good night.
Questions
- Dylan Thomas wrote these words for his father, who was dying. Yet the words are powerful for us as we enter a new year. The old one is coming to an end. As you reflect on going gently into this next year, what does this mean to you?
- What three goals do you have for this coming year? What will success look like for you twelve months from now?
- In what ways will having a spirit of power, love, and self-control benefit you as you enter the new year?