A Song in the Night

Several weeks ago, I jotted down a quote that I wanted to remember.  Unfortunately, I only wrote down the quote, not the source of the quote.  So, I apologize that I cannot tell you the author of this particular saying, but I wanted to share it with you, along with my thoughts on the matter.  The quote is this:  The song may end, but the melody lingers on.

I love it, and I can certainly relate.  I am one of those people who can hear a song on Sunday and still be humming it on Friday.  Whether it's a new song or a familiar one doesn't matter.  If the melody is catchy enough to attract my attention, then it will stick with me long after the song has stopped playing.  I find myself humming it at the oddest times, and this is particularly frustrating with songs that are unfamiliar.  Not only do I not know the words, but often a specific part of the melody replays over and over and over again to the point that I'm just about tired of it.  Finally, my mind will get distracted by other things, and the song will slip away, only to return an hour later.  In some ways, this is great, but in other ways, it can be annoying.

Yet the Lord will command his lovingkindness in the day time, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life. - Psalm 42:8

Life is a series of days and nights.  Days when the sun shines brightly and all seems right with the world.  Nights when the despair seems so heavy that we wonder if we'll survive it to see the dawning of a new day.  Fortunately, the above psalm tells us that the song of the lovingkindness of God that is so evident during the day remains with us through the long, dark night.  The song may end, but the melody lingers on.  The good times may end, but God's faithfulness remains.  The happiness may fade, but the joy of the Lord is ever present.  The pleasure may cease, but God's promises remain.  As Mark Lowry put it, "In the dark times, we have to remember what we saw in the light."

I don't know what song you're singing today.  Perhaps you enjoy the good old hymn, Great Is Thy Faithfulness, or maybe you prefer How Great Thou Art--both of which are obvious songs to sing in the brightness of the day.  But when darkness comes, and the message of those songs no longer seems to be true, allow the melody to live on.  You may not feel like singing.  You may not know the words, or maybe you no longer believe them.  That's understandable.  Things get fuzzy in the dark.  But whether you feel it or not and whether you believe it or not, the melody lives on within you.  Let it bubble to the surface.  Let it flood your heart with the reminder of God's goodness.  And rest in the knowledge that God loves you enough to give you a song in the night.

And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. - Psalm 40:3