“God, my maker, who giveth songs in the night” (Job 35:10).

Any man can sing in the blissful light of the daytime. When wealth and joy roll in abundance around him, any man can praise his Maker well! His heart’s melody proves sweet because the south winds are duly blowing – they are fine and tropical winds, winds of glory, and winds of warm relief (Job 37:9, 17; Ps. 126:4). But what about when seasons turn cold? What is our heart’s song when the north winds roll in? Can that same harp play it’s melody when winds have turned harsh, cold and gloomy (Song. 4:16; Prov. 25:23; Jer. 4:6)? Will that once singing tongue then possess “joyful lips” and will it “remember Thee upon [its] bed“, or “meditate on Thee in the night watches” (Ps. 63:5-6)? Will we find ourselves, like Peter, rejoicing even while suffering great shame (Acts 5:41)? Friends, it is easy to sing when we can read the tune by God’s daylight; but he is spiritually better who yet sings when there is not a ray of light to read by.. he who sings from his heart, rather than from his blessed or cursed circumstance.

“In the night his song shall be with me” (Ps. 42:8).

It’s simple to sing when beautiful flowers are upon the paths we daily tread.. they’re always growing, thriving, and releasing their sweet fragrances. But the true measure of a man will be his ability to sing in the most arid of deserts, where no green thing grows for miles, and the only scent you can find is that of your own languishing flesh! Here, in the anguish of night, we will find our true test.. will we remember “Thy faithfulness every night” (Ps. 92:2), and continue to shout our praises unto God (Acts 16:25)? Will we, even here, “sing aloud upon [our] beds” (Ps. 149:5)?

It’s effortless to sing when our cups are overflowing, when our health remains strong, or when our night is turned to day. But what will we do “a great while before day“, or in “a solitary place” (Mk. 1:35)? What will the melody of our hearts be then? A true test of one’s character is the constant flow of praise which ever-exudes from his lips, despite the temperature, the trial, the test, or the turbulence around him:

“At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments” (Ps. 119:62).

It was this sort of song which Habakkuk sang, when in the night he said, “Although the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation” (Hab. 3:17-18).

The world is waiting for such a manner of saints to come forth! And Jesus wants to feast upon such sweet fruit! I pray we all find ears to hear His longing and grace to furnish His desire. Amen.

“Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice” (Phil. 4:4).