Songs in the Night
“No one says, 'Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night.” [Job 35:10]
God in his kindness, does not leave us alone in our times of trouble, he meets us in them. One of the unique and beautiful ways he does this is through song. As artist and Pastor Trip Lee says it, “God has granted music unique access to our souls.” It’s something we have all experienced at some point, meeting with God through song. Sometimes it’s not even a “christian” song or a “worship” song and so we don’t know what to make of it other than we know we needed it. It gives us both, the words we didn’t know we needed to say and the words we didn’t know we needed to hear. The right song at the right moment is a deep breath to our soul. A tangible grace and a glimpse of the glory that awaits us. We need these “songs in the night,” not because we need more music, but because we need more Jesus! Do you look for God in times of trouble or is God only present in times of peace?
Charles Spurgeon says it this way:
“The great cause of the Christian's distress, the reason for the depths of sorrow into which many believers are plunged, is simply this—that while they are looking around, on the right hand and on the left, to see how they may escape their troubles, they forget to look to the hills where all real help comes from; they don’t say, “Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night?”
- C. H. Spurgeon
By the varied grace of Jesus and power of the Holy Spirit, God gives us songs in the night that he might sing over us, quiet us with his love, and remind us in that “midnight hour,” that he is with us. It turns out, there is a melody for the madness of this world and there is a voice to our deepest need.
In Hebrews 2, we see that it’s Christ singing in the midst of the congregation and it’s Christ who is leading us in praise, proclaiming:
“Again, I will put my trust in him.”
What songs has God given you in the night? What songs do you hear in times of trouble? When you listen, look to Jesus, he is singing, too. The one who knows you better than you know yourself, who loves you more than you can imagine, and who is with you in the darkest nights. Reminding you again, to trust in him. He is our maker, who gives us songs in the night.
By day the LORD commands his steadfast love,
and at night his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.
-Psalm 42:8
Matt Shelton
Pastor of Music & Arts at The Paradox Church
