A SONG IN THE NIGHT
PSALM 77:6 “I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search.”
The great preacher of the past, Charles Spurgeon, said, “memory is a fit handmaid for faith.” We can use our memories to make us God-centered instead of problem-centered. We can easily become problem-centered when we only focus on the problem and do not see God in the events of our lives. This is the error with much present-day counseling, generally, the problem is magnified and God is somewhere in the background. That was Jacob’s problem when he said, sadly, “all these things are against me.” [Genesis 42:36]. The circumstances were definitely against him, but God was not. God was in the process of giving him a blessing he could not imagine, it was beyond his fondest hopes, Joseph, his beloved son, would be given back to him, and he would spend the rest of his life with him.
But what are we to remember? We can think of all our past troubles and keep our eyes toward the ground in woeful despair and desperation. But this is not “a fit handmaid for faith.” So, we must first remember God’s dealings in the past with us, His willingness to bless our families and us. Most of all, we must remember Him as our Savior and Redeemer, for He has brought us out of the terrible pit, out of the miry clay and put our feet upon a Rock. We must remember His promises, and how He has fulfilled them. In this way, remembrance brings knowledge, some things are settled in our minds and hearts, we know that they are true, one of which is that God has been good to us.
This increases faith; it makes little faith, great faith. Now little faith is better by far than no faith, but great faith is much to be preferred over little faith, for when we exercise great faith in God and His Word, we rest more in His promises, we are more submitted to His will. When we recall how God has been our Refuge and Strength, our ever- present help in time of need, we lift our voices to Him in praise from grateful hearts. A grateful heart is a hope-filled heart, which expects great things from a great God. It also brings true repentance, a change of heart and mind, a new attitude, a new outlook and a renewed commitment to God.
Remember that this song is sung in the night, not in the morning after deliverance. The psalmist began the song with weeping and in a very low key, but he ended it with rejoicing, even before his situation changed. Sometimes prayer, instead of changing things, it changes the person praying. Let us likewise in the night of affliction sing praises, in faith, to a faithful God and He will give us a song in the night in a higher key.
In His Amazing Grace,
Pastor Ed Bowen
