King Theoden’s speech outside Minas Tirith in the Return of the King provides inspiring application to the Christ-follower’s mortal journey on this good earth.  After giving final commands to three of his officers, King Theoden makes a declaration which stirs my heart every day as a Christ-follower, “Forth, and Fear No Darkness!”

In Ralph C. Wood’s book The Gospel According to Tolkien there is a similar declaration Christ-followers can be strengthened and inspired by in the chapter “The Counter-Action to Evil”.

“Most often the hobbits laugh because they possess the freeing capacity to stand outside themselves, to behold themselves at a critical distance, and thus not take themselves too seriously.  This freedom comes most notably to Sam in the tower of Cirith Ungol, where he thinks Frodo lies dead.  Despite his despair, Sam finds himself putting his own unaccountably hopeful words to one of the ‘old childish tunes out of the Shire’:

In western lands beneath the Sun
the flowers may rise in Spring,
the trees may bud, the waters run,
the merry finches sing.
Or there maybe ’tis cloudless night
and swaying beeches bear
the Elven-stars as jewels white
amid their branching hair.
This enduringly joyful, even comic sense of life arises from the Company’s conviction that their errand constitutes a small action within a gigantic cosmic drama.  Though the machinations of evil often cause them searing doubt, they believe that the victory of good is ultimately assured, even if they may themselves fail and soon be forgotten…Tolkien may have had such moments in mind when he said that, at its best, fantasy serves as a ‘far-off gleam or echo of evangelium in the real world’ – a distant reverberation of the Gospel.” (Wood p. 106-107)
As Christ-followers, I pray we make a daily, intentional & joyful habit of to recall our only Hope.  I challenge each of us to speak out loud (for our benefit AND for the benefit of the entire world) the following every day: “Jesus accomplished the Victory on the Cross, He gives us Joy in the Empty Tomb and He is the True HOPE of the Resurrection we look forward to, Alleluia!”
We live in a world of darkness, a world full of fear and when we’re honest about it – we have no hope, ability or strength to overcome this darkness and fear on our own.  Why would we ever consider beginning the day with anything outside of the One Source of Hope?  Despite our failings and sinfulness – we are FORGIVEN!  Despite the despair of our impending mortality – we will be RESURRECTED!
Regardless of all the fallen world, the Enemy and our own sinful flesh do to assault us – the Victory has already been won by Jesus Christ!  Our present circumstances will not remain forever!  So if things are going well we thank the LORD and remember that earthly blessings will come and go – but even brief moments of joy in this life pale in comparison to the Joy that will NEVER end in the Resurrection.  When things are going terrible, we thank the LORD for being with us and remember that earthly hardships will come and go – but joy will remain forever in the Resurrection.
May these Words of Life stir our hearts to action and strengthen our daily journey with our Creator & Savior God: Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.  Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God.  On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.  And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.  The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.  For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as LORD, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.  For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. – 2 Corinthians 4:1-6
Now we go “Forth, and Fear No Darkness” by speaking the Gospel out loud to assure the fearful and strengthen the hopeless, both ourselves and others, with the Powerful Name above all other names, Jesus Christ, who IS the Resurrection and the Life, Alleluia and Amen!