NOVEMBER 14

Songs in the Night

Psalm 42:8

THERE’S NOTHING LIKE THE SONGS OF the faith to help us live beyond the grind. Why else would God have inspired those age-old compositions? Surely, He realized the lasting value of each musical masterpiece and therefore preserved them to help us persevere. They drip with the oil of glory that enables us to live beyond the grind.

• Who hasn’t been comforted, when frightened and alone, by the reminder that “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1)?
• Who hasn’t gained fresh courage from “The LORD is my light and my salvation —so why should I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1)?
• Who hasn’t felt strangled by the grip of guilt only to find soothing relief from “Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. . . . Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:1, 7)? Encouraging words.
• And for those days when we feel forgotten, overlooked, shoved aside, there is strength in “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1).
• And, again, no one can measure the oil that flows through “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. . . . For He knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust” (Psalm 103:12, 14). Great and glorious reassurance.

Few people have appreciated the uplift of a song like David, who exclaimed:

Each day the LORD pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life.

PSALM 42:8

God’s Book is full of such songs; 150 of them. Songs of victory, affirmation, and encouragement . . . songs of confidence-giving strength, of hope to go on, of quiet compassion. Let’s sing them frequently and allow their time-tested lyrics to oil our day —especially in this season of celebration. By doing so, we’ll live beyond the grind.