Hi, this is Joni Eareckson Tada. Singing just comes naturally to me, especially a favorite song like this.
(Joni sings:)
My faith looks up to thee,
Thou lamb of Calvary,
Savior divine.
Now hear me while I pray;
Take all my guilt away;
O let me from this day
Be wholly thine!
You know, it’s easy to sing about our faith looking up to God when things are going smoothly… when it’s easy to look on the bright side of life… Just like birds that sing when the morning breaks into dawn and the first rays of sun touch the earth. But when the sun sets and darkness falls, you hardly ever hear the singing of birds, do you? And what’s true for birds is true for me – singing does not come easy when things look dark, when I’m feeling down or discouraged… when life is hard and it’s all I can do to keep going. It’s not easy to sing then. But thankfully, those are the times when God does something supernatural – because that’s when he gives the song and he gives it in the night. Just when you find you can’t sing, God gives the music. It even says so in the book of Job. God is the one who gives songs in the night, when life is hard, when your spirit’s heavy.
Listen to what Charles Spurgeon, a great pastor from the 19th century, wrote, “Any man can sing in the day. When the cup is full, man draws inspiration from it. When wealth rolls in abundance around him, any man can praise the God who gives a plenteous harvest… The difficulty is for music to swell forth when no wind is stirring. It is easy to sing when we can read the notes by daylight; but he is skillful who sings when there is not a ray of light to read by – one who sings from the heart… Lay me upon the bed of languishing, and how shall I then chant God’s high praises, unless He Himself give me the song? No, it is not in man’s power to sing when all is adverse, unless a [coal from God’s altar] shall touch his lip… Then, since our Maker gives ‘songs in the night’ (Job 35:10), let us wait upon Him for the music.”
Oh, friend, maybe I’m describing you today. Maybe Charles Spurgeon just described you. Your heart is burdened for any number of reasons, and you find there is just no music in your life. Well, God’s the one who’s got a song just for you, so wait upon him for the music. It could be a favorite old hymn like the one I just sang; or it could be a familiar praise song you offer up on a Sunday morning.
And if you need more encouragement to sing, I’d like to give you a CD of a message I recently gave – not too long ago. I pulled it out of our archives and it’s called “Life is Hard, but God is Good.” Because you know what?! Life is hard, isn’t it? We need God’s music. So let me send you this message I did called “Life is Hard, but God is Good.” Just visit me today at joniandfriendsradio.org and we’ll get it off to you right away. And remember, it’s not in your power to sing when all is dark… unless God gives the song. So wait upon him for the music today and you won’t be disappointed.
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 91376
© Joni and Friends