Though He Slay Me: Hope in Dark Places

By Grace C.

Hope View by andre_van from Getty Images Created in Canva

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for DragonFire by Donita K. Paul, the fourth installment in the five-book DragonKeeper Chronicles.

Over the last few months, several states in the U.S. have been battered with unusually destructive storms. The world is still recovering from the pandemic that sent it reeling, and now Ukraine, Russia, and other major countries are locked in ongoing wars. During dark times, it is easy to feel depressed, furious, and heartbroken. Personally, when life goes haywire, I tend to act less than gracious towards God. At the same time, I long to trust Him, yet my heart is so weak! Two weeks ago, I read something about trust that sparked my interest and set me contemplating my own capacity for trust during trials.

I was reading one of my favorite fantasy series, the DragonKeeper Chronicles, when I encountered a scene with two of the characters that made me stop and think. One of the characters is named Paladin. He is the king of Amara, the imaginary nation that the series takes place in. His physical health is tied to the spiritual health of his people, who worship a character that represents God (Wulder). Tragically, his people begin backsliding in their faith. At the end of three years, Paladin is bedridden and near death. Kale (the main character), Paladin’s servant and friend, goes to visit him. Predictably, she is distressed and afraid for his life. But to her great surprise, Paladin seems calm–even content. When Kale voices her fears for him, he reassures her. “‘Afraid for me?’” he asks. “‘Surely not. If I die, I go to be with Wulder. I will dance and sing with those who have gone before me. I think you fear for yourself’” (Paul 61).

When I read this passage, I felt immediately convicted by my own lack of faith. I started to think about how I react towards difficulties in life. I realized that I often get angry at God, question everything that He’s doing, or panic when hardships rear their heads. Frequently, I try to take things into my own hands and fix myself or melt down and blame Him for everything. What would I do if I was put into a situation like Paladin’s? If I was a ruler who gave everything to my people only to have them turn around and hurt me, I would not react as graciously as Paladin. Nor would I willingly give my life into God’s hands to do with as He pleased—at least not without a fight.

I believe that Paladin’s story is a wonderful example of a trusting response to hardship. I want to clarify that I am not trying to say it is bad to grieve, experience anxiety, or feel or even express anger towards God during difficult circumstances. Even so-called “spiritual giants” like Job questioned God’s plan many times when their lives went awry. Still, I think Paladin’s reaction to dying is a beautiful picture of how we can have hope during the darkest of times: by looking forward to the perfect future to come. “Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord” (English Standard Version, 1 Thess. 4:17).

Columns: 🗣️Advice ✝️Spiritual Life

Grace C. lives in the United States with her parents and many pets. She is a tenth grader enjoying her second year at NSA. Grace has a passion for creative writing and is currently working on a fantasy novel. Some of her other hobbies include exploring God's creation, raising bugs, hoarding books, and baking.