On this day in 1845 Edgar Allan Poe’s Poem “The Raven” was published in The Evening Mirror newspaper. Poe was a famous poet and writer in the 1800s. He is attributed as the founder of the short story (he was the first to coin the phrase). He was considered the master of the macabre and was a pioneer in the literary world at that time. He endured a challenging childhood. His father abandoned him when he was just one year old and his mother died shortly before he turned three. He was taken in by John and Frances Allen. Though they never adopted him he decided to take their name. Allen received a good education and excelled in sports. He was an excellent rower, swimmer, and boxer. He held multiple records for a brief period of time. He started to attend the University of Virginia but dropped out due to a lack of finances. He then tried to obtain a military career but failed to become a cadet at West Point. These failures didn’t deter him though. His heart’s desire was to become a writer. He published his first book when he was only 18 years old (though it was not a literacy success). He would move from city to city. He would become a prominent author and a famous literary critic. He would spend countless hours writing, often with his Siamese cat sitting on his shoulder (Poe was a lover of cats, his favorite was named Catterina). Poe is considered to be America’s first professional author, though he struggled with severe during his life. Poe wrote many famous pieces of literature during his lifetime, but none were quite as renowned as the Raven. This narrative poem was divided into 108 lines, consisting of 18 six-line stanzas. The poem focuses on a heartbroken lover who was simply called the student. He was mourning the loss of his dear love, Lenore. The ‘student’ was visited by a raven, who tormented his soul with one single word, ‘nevermore.’ The nevermore showcased the fact that he would never see his sweet Lenore again. The dark, looming, ominous birds symbolized the hopelessness of grief and loss.
This short poem speaks of how grief overcomes a person. It drove the person in the poem to despair and total madness. Grief does that. Grief does not have a schedule. It does not come and go as we would like it to. It crashes into our life. It does not have a set time frame. Grief affects everyone differently. When we think we are over it, the feeling comes again. We try to fight against it but often find more defeat than victory. Grieving is uncomfortable. Little can quell that inner pain. It is unavoidable. We try to juggle the feelings of faith and fear, but it is often a balancing act that is far too hard for us. Each of us has lost someone dear to us. Maybe it’s a spouse, a parent, the tragic loss of a child, a pet, etc. Grief is so unnatural for humans because we were created with eternity in our hearts. God designed us to live forever. But what are we to do when we face the dark raven of grief. How can we respond to such a mighty enemy? Charles Spurgeon once said that when grief presses you to the ground, worship God there. But how can we worship God when our heart is broken seemingly beyond repair? The Psalmist offers us some incredibly comforting words, he writes “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18).” We find an unbreakable promise from our reliable heavenly Father. He is CLOSE to us when our heart is broken. He is not far from us, He is not aloof, and He is not unaware. He is near to us. We might not always ‘feel’ His presence but this promises shows us that He is right there with us. He goes through the valley of the shadow of death with us, not abandoning us. He also doesn’t demand that we heal right away. Grief doesn’t magically disappear overnight, nor will God leave you in those lonely moments. He treks through life with us not when the sun is shining and life is merry. He goes through the tears, the pains, the hurts, and the mud. He will also rescue you from your crushed spirit. Cry out to Him dear friend. Cry out to Jesus and ask Him to come alongside you as you grieve. The raven told the student the lone hopeless word of nevermore, nevermore to see his beloved again. God’s nevermore is different. God says nevermore will you grieve alone. Nevermore will your tears be unseen and unnoticed. Nevermore will grief overcome you to total despair because He is also there.
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