In Youth, Remember dark days are many.

 Remember Your Creator

A Reflection on Ecclesiastes 12:1

In your youth, remember your Creator—

Before the days of trouble come,

Before the years draw near when you will say,

"I find no pleasure in them"—before your strength is numb.

Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, "I have no delight in them." (Ecclesiastes 12:1, AMP)

Dark days are many—this is the wisdom of the ages,

Not to frighten you, but to prepare you for the stages

Of life that lie ahead, the seasons yet unknown,

The winters that will chill your bones when you stand alone.

In your youth, when the sun is warm upon your face,

When your steps are strong and swift, when you run the race

With energy unending and dreams that soar so high—

Remember then your Maker, before the years go by.

Dark days are many—not to steal your joy,

But to remind you that life is brief, a vapor, a toy

That passes all too quickly, and the foundation you now lay

Will determine how you stand when the shadows come to stay.

For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls off, and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man will fade away in the midst of his pursuits. (James 1:11, AMP)

Build now the house of faith—while you have strength to build.

Seek now the face of Jesus—while your heart can yet be filled

With the wonder of His presence, with the fire of His love,

Before the storms of life descend and push and shove.

Dark days are many—not a curse, but a call

To anchor your soul deeply before you fall.

To plant your roots firmly in soil rich and deep,

So when the droughts of life arrive, your faith will hold and keep.

Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. (Matthew 7:24-25, AMP)

In your youth, when you can choose the path you'll take,

Choose the narrow way, for heaven's sake.

Choose to follow Jesus, choose to learn His ways,

Choose to fill your heart with truth and spend your days in praise.

Dark days are many—this is not to make you fear,

But to make you wise, to make you hear

The voice of wisdom calling, "Come to Me now,

While you can still find Me, while you can still know how."

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near. (Isaiah 55:6, AMP)

For when the dark days come—and they surely will—

You will need a refuge, a shelter, a hill

Upon which you can stand when the floods arise,

A steadfast hope that reaches to the skies.

And that hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus' blood and righteousness.

The dark days cannot shake it, the storms cannot move,

For it is founded on His everlasting love.

Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 15:58, AMP)

So in your youth, remember your Creator.

Before the sun and the light grow dim,

Before the moon and the stars withdraw from him

Who once ran so freely, now slowed by age and time—

Remember now your God, while you are in your prime.

Dark days are many—but the Light of the world is One,

And He has overcome the world; His victory is won.

So build your life on Him today, while you have strength and breath,

And when the dark days come, you will not fear the death

Of hope, of joy, of peace, of love—

For you are held by Him who reigns above.

I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life. (John 8:12, AMP)

Remember now your Creator.

The dark days will come.

But the Light has already overcome.

Amen.