For the past week we've been on vacation -- what I thought was a much needed vacation. From nearly the very first day, three of the four members of our family that are here have been sick (myself being one). All week Ron has been leading us in giving thanks to God for all our many blessings -- even in spite of being sick. This morning, however, I woke feeling a bit discouraged as I was already tired upon arrival and was now feeling more tired due to being sick and everyone else being sick. I came out to find that the fourth family member now had a fever. Ron was singing, "This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." I wanted to have a joyful heart but couldn't "pull myself" together -- of course because a joyful heart is a work of The Spirit and I was just feeling sorry for myself. I went to our room to try and gain some perspective and talk to the Lord. When I returned I sat down to read todays reading from Spurgeon's Morning and Evening. This is what is said...
"God, my Maker, who giveth songs in the night."
Job 35:10
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 or sends home a loaded argosy. It is easy enough for an Aeolian harp to whisper music when the winds blow -- 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 skilful who sings when there is not a ray of light to read by -- who sings from his heart. No man can make a song in the night of himself; he may attempt it, but he will find that a song in the night must be divinely inspired. Let all things go well, I can weave songs, fashion ing them wherever I go out of the flowers that grow upon my path; but put me in a desert, where no green thing grows, and wherewith shall I frame a hymn of praise to God? How shall a mortal man make a crown for the Lord where no jewels are? Let but this voice be clear, and this body full of health, and I can sing God's praise: silence my tongue, 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 an altar-coal shall touch his lip. It was a divine song, which Habakkuk sang, when in the night he said, "Although the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flocks shall be cut off from their fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation." Then, since our Maker gives song in the night, let us wait upon Him for the music. O Thou chief musician, let us not remain songless because affliction is upon us, but tune Thou our lips to the melody of thanksgiving."
END OF DEVOTIONAL --
I praise God for giving my husband a song in his heart in the midst of our sickness that encouraged me and for the reaffirming words of Pastor Spurgeon that were a word in good season.
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