After our son Parker was stillborn, one of the ways in which we poured out our grief to God was to write “Even The Darkness Is Light To You,” which Kristen and the band have recorded on our new Parker’s Mercy Brigade.
Even the darkness is light to You
You bring life from a silent tomb,
In the deep night-time fog, You’re still Almighty God,
Even the darkness is light to You
Psalm 139 inspired this song of stubborn praise and trust in God’s goodness. We even took the title from Psalm 139:12, “even the darkness will not be dark to you, the light will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.”
We wanted this song to have a scenic vibe worthy of the psalm that inspired it. So even though one of our goals for Parker’s Mercy Brigade was to write accessible, modern English lyrics that clearly and concisely praise God, we washed this song in metaphor and visual imagery. You can hear it right away in Verse 1:
When we are broken,
Like a haunted, weary land,
And darkness has fallen,
Then You take us in Your hand;
Left on our own, we could never find our way,
But even the darkness is light to You …
But when you read Psalm 139 you’ll see that it’s not just speaking about how God can find, comfort and lead us when we’re going through dark times. It’s saying that even when a believer sins, when we run from God, when we make our bed in the grave, He is there to restore us. We brought this aspect into focus in Verse 2:
When we are hiding
In the shame of our own sin,
Then You will find us,
And claim us once again …
Hear it in our audio player:
Or hear/watch the “Even The Darkness Is Light To You” in the official lyric video from Kristen’s YouTube channel:
Psalm 139:7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.