Hope That Rings Loud
Christmas is supposed to be joyful, isn’t it? It’s supposed to be full of light, laughter, and hope, but for many of us, the season isn’t all joy. There’s pain, heartache, and brokenness that seem louder than the carols we sing. That’s why “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” is my favorite Christmas song. It’s honest about the hurt, and it doesn’t ignore the darkness, but it refuses to leave us there. It reminds us that God isn’t absent in our pain. He’s present and working, even when we can’t see it.
The story behind this song resonates deeply because it comes from a man who knew sorrow and suffering. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote these words in his poem Christmas Bells in 1863 during one of the darkest seasons of his life. Just a few years earlier, his wife, Fanny, died in a tragic fire. Her dress caught fire in their home, and despite his desperate attempt to save her, she didn’t survive. He was left with burns on his hands and face, scars that served as daily reminders of his loss.
That grief alone could have crushed him, but then the Civil War broke out, tearing the country apart. His eldest son, Charles, joined the Union Army against his wishes, and in 1863, Charles was severely injured in battle. Longfellow was overwhelmed. His home felt empty, and his nation felt shattered. His heart felt broken. Hope felt lost.
It was in this place of despair that Longfellow sat down on Christmas Day and began to write. He heard the bells ringing from a nearby church, and their sound carried the words of “peace on earth, goodwill to men.” But that message felt impossible. The world he saw didn’t look like peace. It looked like hate, division, suffering, and loss.
He captured that tension in his poem:
“And in despair I bowed my head:
‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said,
‘For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, goodwill to men.’”
Can you feel that? I think we’ve all been there in some way. Maybe you haven’t lost a loved one, but I know you know what it’s like to bow your head in despair. You know what it’s like to look at the world and wonder where God is. It’s so easy to feel like the darkness is winning.
The beauty of this song is that it doesn’t end in despair. As Longfellow listened to those bells, something began to shift in his heart. The sound of their ringing reminded him of a truth greater than his grief. God isn’t dead. He isn’t silent or absent. Even when hate feels strong, His love is stronger.
“Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
‘God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, goodwill to men.’”
That’s it. That’s the hope of Christmas. It isn’t a false hope or some empty sentiment. It’s the truth that God stepped into our broken world. Jesus was born into a world full of pain and sin, but He came to bring light into the darkness.
The bells in this song are a reminder of that light. They don’t pretend the world isn’t broken, but they declare that the brokenness doesn’t win. God is still at work, and His promises are still true.
I love how honest this song is. Longfellow didn’t write it from a place of easy answers or shallow faith. He wrote it from the depths of grief, and that makes it real. It reminds us that it’s okay to feel the weight of sorrow. It’s okay to cry out to God when the pain feels too heavy, but it also reminds us that there’s always hope.
Maybe you’re in a season like Longfellow was. Maybe this Christmas feels more like despair than joy. If that’s where you are, let me tell you this. God hasn’t left you. He sees your pain, and He hears your cries. He’s with you, even now.
The world is still broken, and we all feel the weight of it, but Jesus came to fix what’s been broken. He came to make all things new. That’s what Christmas is about. It isn’t just a baby in a manger. It’s the promise that hate, sin, suffering, sorrow and death won’t have the final word.
When I hear this song, I think about how much God loves us. He didn’t stay distant. He entered into our mess. He brought His light into our darkness, and He reminds us that no matter how strong the hate or despair is, His love is stronger.
This Christmas, as you listen to the bells ring or hear this song sung, let it remind you of that love. Let it remind you that God isn’t done. The story isn’t over. The wrong will fail, and the right will prevail, ultimately before the judge of the all earth. Not because of what we do, but because of what Jesus came to do.
I know despair can keep peace from feeling far from you. Especially this time of year. But God is not dead, nor does He sleep. If Longfellow could find hope in the midst of his loss, then so can you. His life wasn’t easy. His pain didn’t disappear overnight, but he clung to the truth that God was still working, and that truth carried him through. It’s done the same for me as well.
So let it carry you too. No matter what you’re facing this season, know that God is with you. The bells are still ringing, and they’re declaring His goodness. They’re proclaiming His love. They’re reminding us that the light has come, and the darkness cannot overcome it.
Can you hear the bells? They’re still ringing.
Here is my favorite rendition of the song. This version captures the despair and the hope beautifully. I pray it resonates deeply within your heart and leads you to hope in the God who is alive and active, even now, and even in your life.
