Night Times of the Soul

I have been blogging since early 2007.  It isn't difficult to post concerning family doings, my own doings or what is going on in the world.  Occasionally I have a "burr under my saddle" which means something is bugging me and I have to stop to remove the burr by talking about it and coming up with a solution. 


However I want the posts that comes from this blog to be thought provoking and helpful to those who seek to find an second witness for their inner thinking and communion with God.

One of my favorite memories of childhood and farm life was in the twilight of the evenings when the days’ work was done and supper finished we all went outside to get cool.  The long hot summer days were sultry in middle Tennessee, and to escape inside sure wasn’t the answer.  However after the sun had descended behind the skyline in the distance west we found a way to cool down by laying on the grass with our eyes focused on the heavens, counting the stars or looking for the Milky Way.  We may have chased fireflies, and listen to the bullfrogs on the creek bank, but we admit even now we lived in a peaceful and yet innocent time.  There was little to fear and we had learned about night times of the soul.

Daddy sat and strummed his guitar and soon we as children topped playing and sang the hymns of the church with him; Interrupted only by the sound of the Whippoorwill in the distance. 

The call of the Night bird, who only comes out to sing when the sun has gone down, and evening shadows have settled in.  His song started at a distance, but soon he got louder as we got quieter.  His song was a precious sound to me then.  However today it has a different meaning.  It isn't often I hear a Whippoorwill song since I live in the city.  If he sings - the sounds of busyness hinders his song from reaching my ears.

Doesn't mean he has quit singing. That is what he does. He sings.  He is considered the night bird.  I wonder if he is singing to those in despair. Could he be saying, "Morning is coming, morning is coming"?

The story of Job is interesting, 35:9 “When people are oppressed, they groan; they cry for someone to save them. (10)  But they don't turn to God, their Creator, who gives them hope in their darkest hours.

This is from the Good New Bible, whereas KJV says it this way, “ …no one says, Where is God my maker who gives songs in the night”    Does this remind us of anything?  Do we go everywhere else for our HOPE?  Do we depend on others to bring us a song? 

I believe Paul and Silas sang from a heart that understood their situation was in God's hand.  Their imprisonment was not forever.  Their night time would not be a way of life.  They sang from a Peace of Heart that passes all understanding.  Only God can gives us songs in our night times.  In our despair when we cannot see a solution or a better day, it is our God who gives us songs in the middle of our night times of the soul.
Doris