Do you ever wonder? Why is the face of the Moon always looking at us? Doesn’t the Moon rotate?
According to NASA: “The time it takes for the Moon to rotate once on its axis is equal to the time it takes for the Moon to orbit once around Earth, so the same side of the Moon always faces our planet.”
So, yes, the Moon rotates, but to us on earth, it doesn’t appear to. It is continually frozen in its gaze, and the dark side of the Moon is ALWAYS dark.
When we lived in the Chicago area, we felt a call to plant a new church in one of the south suburbs of the city. In those early days, our congregation was small, but we got a lot of assistance from folks God sent to help us get started. A wonderful mix of people with an array of different gifts and talents—we were so grateful. Among them was a trio of young women who, though they lived in the city, offered to come out and assist us in any way they could.
It may sound odd, but one of my fondest memories from those days was our late Sunday night drives into the city, taking those girls back home after church. Those were sweet times—perhaps because our car conversations were always interesting. Or maybe because our two daughters were still small, and for fun we’d stop sometimes for a late-night treat at Prince Castle, the South Side ice cream shop that now lives only in our memories. We loved their square-scooped ice cream and thick, fresh banana shakes!
During those hour-long treks into the city, we’d typically have the radio on. Late every Sunday evening, WMBI*—the venerable flagship station of what is now Moody Radio—aired Songs in the Night. The program became a favorite of mine, largely because I loved its theme song—an almost ethereal night song that lingered in my heart long after the broadcast had ended.
“Songs in the night, songs in the night,
The Lord giveth songs in the deepest night.
Sorrow may come, days dark and drear,
Still He giveth songs in the night.”
Chicago seemed SO dark—especially at night. A deeper dark. I knew there were poor souls in the city who lived in perpetual night. The darkness that has nothing to do with the time of day.
“Days dark and drear.”
As we drove past endless blocks of tenements, I tried to visualize people living where the darkness of sin held the residents captive—like being forced to live forever on the dark side of the moon, never seeing the light of the sun. I wanted to roll down my window and turn up the volume of that broadcast of HOPE—“the Lord giveth songs in the deepest night”—like aiming a lighthouse beacon over the waves, reaching for souls lost in the darkness. I wanted to tell them that even in the deepest dark, there is a God Who dwells deeper still.
The prophet Isaiah gives us curious insight into God’s power when he quotes the LORD, saying: “I form light and create darkness … I am the LORD, who does all these things.” (45:7 ESV)
Yes, God created all things that exist, even the deep darkness on the backside of the moon, but God never intended nor desired for us to live in that darkness perpetually.
“While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day AND night shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:22 KJV)
In God’s merciful plan, everything moves in cycles. Everything turns. Everything has its season. Yes, it may be dark right now—but dawn IS NEAR.
When the winter winds bluster and blow, remember—they are only for a season. Spring IS COMING.
When drought parches the land, it will not last forever. The rain WILL COME.
When clouds gather and everything is shrouded in fog, hold on. The fog WILL LIFT, and the skies WILL CLEAR.
“Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” (Psalm 30:5 NLT)
This continual cycle of life is no coincidence. Like the ebb and flow of the tides—abundance and want, pain and peace, joy and grief, wrestling and rest—all will come, and it WILL go, in its time. The cycle IS the plan—for the constant movement makes us stronger.
“The strength of a ship is only fully demonstrated when it faces a hurricane, and the power of the gospel can only be fully exhibited when a Christian is subjected to some fiery trial. We must understand that for God to give ‘songs in the night,’ He must first make it night.” (Nathaniel William Taylor, Streams in the Desert)
Satan seeks to thwart God’s ways and interrupt His redemptive pattern. He keeps his captives immovable, shackled by sin, imprisoned in lightless solitary confinement. As if on the far side of the moon, they never rotate to see another view. They remain fixed in perpetual darkness—always on the dark side, always night, with no hope of morning.
But the LORD of Glory has the opposite plan. Everything in His kingdom moves in a cycle of redemption.
Darkness flees before the LIGHT of God. Confusion and panic dissolve in the presence of the Way Maker. Grief and sorrow bow at the mere mention of Jesus’ name. Pain loosens its grip at the touch of the Healer. Repentance transforms our sin from forever … to forgiven—and the devastation once thought irreparable is reversed by God’s redeeming grace.
“Sorrow may come, days dark and drear,
Still He giveth songs in the night.”
Every day, Jesus CALLS us to endure hard things. He’s not trying to discourage or destroy us—He is building our TESTIMONY. In the silence of our struggle, He gives a song. While He brings us through difficulties, He is quickening our HOPE. When we look to the horizon, we KNOW that He is already working on the glory that is just ahead!
“God (is) my maker, who giveth songs in the night.” (Job 35:10 KJV)
HOW does He give songs in the night?
One way is through the joint cooperation of His WORD and our MEMORY. When we have committed Scripture to memory, God will bring it to our minds at midnight—in our darkest hour and time of greatest need—to bring us comfort and relief in the MIDST of it. The BEST remedy I know for insomnia is to quote Scripture. It brings peace and comfort … and SLEEP … EVERY time.
“Thy statutes have been my SONGS in the house of my pilgrimage. I have remembered thy name, O LORD, in the NIGHT …” (Psalms 119:54-55 KJV)
There WILL be calamity, yes. But embedded within every calamity is a God-ordained cycle—and with every test comes its appointed end.
“Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song SHALL be with me …” (Psalm 42:8 KJV)
Out of chaos, He brings calm. In the storm, He gives strength to endure. And in the darkest midnight, He still gives His children … songs in the night.
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*Side note: This week marked a noteworthy milestone—the 100th anniversary of the first broadcast of WMBI—the radio voice of the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. WMBI was one of America’s very first noncommercial all-Christian radio stations. On the night of July 28, 1926, listeners in Chicago heard this gospel song sung over the airwaves for the very first time: “I have a Savior I want you to know … Jesus my Lord and my King.”
