Psalm 42:8

Psalm 42:8

At night His song is with me

This is a confession of hope amidst the darkness of circumstances. In the bitter bleakness of his suffering this dear man sees a ray of light. Why, in the light of day the Lord commands His loving kindness. Even though he might be enduring the most awful pain or loss or depression the Lord sends a comforting ray of hope, a reminder of His love. In the night, this son of Korah, (who you will remember was a music man, a writer of songs, a chorister, an instrumentalist, a man of music and celebration) hears a melody. His prayers to the Lord God are not just a torrent of pleas and cries but there is music in his heart and the words become a lament, a musical outpouring before the Lord to the One whom he calls, “the God of my life.”

Never forget this, however dire the circumstances, we are not forgotten. When we hit rock bottom the Lord still directs his loving kindness and seeks to remind us that we are still in His hands. And maybe there are some who are able to turn their bitter cries into a song; a song that exalts the God of their lives but also expresses the reality of their suffering. It’s strange that we usually expect songs and hymns to be just vehicles of worship and thanksgiving. They can also be reflections of the suffering of the human heart and as such they become our prayer. Matt Redman wrote the song “Blessed be Your name” shortly after the September 11th bombing in the USA. He commented at the time, “Where were the musical poets and prophets to help the people of God find a voice in worship at this tragic time? The truth was, in most places we visited (or led worship in), there was a distinct lack of songs appropriate for this time…when it came to expressions of pain and lament, we had very little vocabulary to give voice to our heart cries.”

The Psalms are written for every situation and are there to help us even at the darkest of times. Hallelujah!

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