When the blackness of despair surrounds us, hope can be notoriously difficult to find. We turn to the church, and we want what everyone seems to have. We sing the songs, join in the praise, and we leave as miserable as before. Friends and family try to encourage us, and their words are empty air that blow around us and are gone. The one constant that remains is the depth of our desolation, and in our pain, it is total and complete. It is easy to consider giving up, because when we are mired in our despair, we are overwhelmed. In that moment of total devastation, there is no light at the end of the tunnel. All doors are closed, the lights are off, and silence surrounds us. Not even God speaks to us in our misery. Yet, despair is but for a season, and there will be a window in the distance. Light will shine for us once more, and we will live again. All we need to do is hold to the truth that God is in control, and he sees our pain. He hurts for us as we hurt, and he will be there when we come out on the other side. These biblically-based essays on finding God as our hope in the darkness are interwoven with a common theme: God never leaves us alone, no matter how dark the night becomes. Each of these essays speaks to my heart. I hope they speak to yours.