Thursday Meditation: Let Me Be Singing When the Evening Comes

"When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives." (Matthew 26:30)

I've skipped over this verse many times in the past, never paying much attention to it, and in fact, the song is given an almost cursory treatment ("When they had sung a hymn . . . ") But this time, it caught my attention. After eating the Last Supper, after breaking the bread that represented Christ's body and drinking the wine that represented His blood spilled for humanity, Jesus and his disciples chose to sing.

On the darkest night of his life, in fact the last night of his life, hours before he would be arrested, falsely accused, beaten, mocked, tortured, and crucified, Jesus was singing and worshipping with his disciples. That is probably NOT what I'd be doing if I knew that a painful death was near at hand. Even knowing the reality of His circumstances, Jesus chose to sing as the night closed in around him.

The title of this post is taken from a beautiful line in Matt Redman's song 10,000 Reasons. Let me be singing when the evening comes, come what may. No matter what darkness and pain I may encounter, what valleys I may walk through, I hope I can choose as Christ did to still open my mouth in praise and sing despite the darkness.