Songs of the night!

“No one says, ‘Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night.” [Job 35:10]

Above was said by Elihu to Job. Men and women are tested, trialled and troubled. During those times, they cry out and plead for relief from God. However, none of them says “Where is God my maker, who gives me songs in the night…”. You know why…..They are not looking above to the maker, they look around to the right and left for the ways to escape
these trials. They always forget to look on to the mountains where the real help comes from.

In the worldly night time, when the sun goes down, night time comes up and that’s the time we
sleep and rest calmly. Sometimes I stand outside my balcony when darkness is blanketed and silence everywhere. When I look above the clouds, I imagine the heavenly beings standing in the presence of the Lord singing and playing the harps. Night does have its beauty
where the planets, moon, stars, trees and the whole earth sing praises to the mighty God.

On the other hand, spiritually we have night times in our life. As Psalmist says in Psalms 104:20, all the beasts of the forest will prowl in the night. We may have nights of sorrow, nights of persecution, nights of doubt, nights of anxiety and depression, nights of loneliness and every single thing that brings despair in our life. We are unable to comprehend these
situations in our life as there is no light shown to discern why this is happening. That’s the time we need to lift up our eyes to the mountains where our help comes from (Psalms 121).

God is the author of the songs for me to sing during my night times.
Anyone can sing a song during the daytime and it’s not easy to sing during night times. When we are content with everything in our life, it’s easy to praise and worship God. Notes of gratitude
will pour from our hearts. It is easy for us to sing “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless His Holy name”. But the song which Habakkuk sang “Though the fig tree does not bud…yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my saviour” (Habakkuk 3:17-
18) is the real song of praise to God. When you are standing in front of the red sea, with an army of Pharaoh at the back, when darkness and fear surround you, are you able to sing a song? Yes, we can, Moses was able to sing that song because he remembered the promise
God gave. So God is the only one who can give you songs during your night time. And when you sing, He will see the true faith in your heart and give you the peace that passes all the
understanding.

What will be the subject of our night-time song?
It may be night now, but remember the times of daylight in your life. There may not be a moon or a single star in the sky, but remember we had sun before. We may be doubtful and fearful right now but remember our redeemer lives. We have the assurance that our Lord Jesus
Christ shed His precious blood for you and me. This was the subject of Job’s night time song. Job 19:25-26 “I know my redeemer lives and in the end, he will stand upon the earth. Even my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh, I will see my God.” So let us remember all things God has done for us in the past and let it be one of the subjects of our night song, a song of His love and mercy.

Sing about the blessed hour when we knew Jesus the first time. When we were blind and a slave of sin, He came to us and called us to be His son and daughter. We can sing about those precious moments when he broke the chains of slavery and set us free.

When we were sick and had no hope to live, didn’t He raise you up from the sick bed? Didn’t he supply all your needs? Didn’t he deliver you when you were in trouble? Look at the diary of remembrance where you have jotted down all the good things Lord has done in your life. Light up your night by singing all these things and you won’t be able to stop at all.

An illustration is that our life ship may be wobbly in the raving ocean during night time. The lighthouse shows you there are many posts on the shore where you can throw a cable around and secure your ship. Unless you follow the lighthouse light and come closer to the shore, you won’t be able to throw the cable around the posts. Same like that God gave you
promises and they are strong, firm and true. Unless you have enough faith to throw your cables around those promises you cannot secure your ship. You will be drifted away in the unbelief. So dear friends, if you cannot remember anything He has done for you, just remember that He is a merciful God. Look around you who have gone through this night time.
Look in the Bible where many had gone through this darkness in their lives.

Night time songs are more effective than daytime songs. Is it? 

The birds like robin and nightingale sing so beautifully in the night. But when they sing in the day time, the song is still great but you have other birds like a sparrow who sings beautifully
as well. It’s the stillness and quietness in the night time makes the bird’s song more beautiful. Likewise, your night-time song is sweet and energetic than your day time song.

“Amazing Grace” is one of the everlasting songs which was composed in faith. There are songs which were sung 100 years back, still, we sing in the churches and at home. Why?
Because they are the songs which were written in faith and experience during their night-times. Paul and Silas are a great example of the night time singing. They were tortured, hit and chained in the roman jail. But they did not keep quite cursing their fate, they prayed, sang and worshipped their God. That song which they sang is read by us even after these many
years. Their song made a revolution in that city. So night time songs are everlasting songs.

Benefits of singing in the night time
It will cheer us up. Whenever David plays his harp and sings, the evil spirit left him. When we start singing during our trouble times, we will chase away our fears. Singing is the best thing to purge ourselves of evil thoughts. Keep your heart and mouth full of songs and praises.
Keep on singing as long as you can, you will find it as the best way to drive the fear in you.

It will cheer up fellow believers who are in the same situation
If any of our fellow Christians who are in the dark valley, our night songs experience will be a great comfort to them. John Bunyan tells us in his book, ‘Pilgrim’s Progress‘, that as “Christian” was going through the Valley
of the Shadow of Death, he found it to be a dreadful dark place, and terrible demons were all around him, and poor “Christian” thought he would perish, there he heard a sweet voice; he listened to it, and it was from a man walking somewhere in front of him singing, “Yes, when I
pass through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” Now, that man did not know who was near him, but he was unknowingly singing to cheer and encourage a man following behind him.

So when you are in trouble sing. You don’t know who is near you and by your singing, you may help somebody to go through their night time. You may cheer up many. Your songs can lift up the broken hearts. Sing unto the Lord all time.

– Julie Tanish