Singing Before Sunrise

Singing before sunrise, trusting the unseen work of Jesus within

Devotional Credit: Days of Heaven Upon Earth, A. B. Simpson
Photo Credit: Unsplash

Some mornings are gray before they are bright. A. B. Simpson’s reflection invites us to sing in the gray, to let praise rise while the sky is still heavy, trusting that the Lord is doing more than we can see. Paul and Silas sang in a jail at midnight, and doors opened. Jehoshaphat sent singers ahead of the army, and the enemies scattered. These stories are not exceptions for the spiritual elite. They are snapshots of normal life in Jesus, where faith acts on God’s goodness before our eyes catch up.

Faith does not pretend the night is day. Faith remembers that the Lord is present in the night, and that His purposes are already moving. When we lift a song in the dark, we are not trying to move God. We are letting Jesus express His life in us, and He steadies our hearts. He is not asking us to manufacture courage. He is inviting us to receive His courage and yield our voices to Him.

Winter does not cancel spring. Barren fields do not cancel the seed. Hidden work is still work, and the Lord is faithful. While we wait, we can give thanks that He wastes nothing. The weight on our chest lightens as praise aligns us with His reality. We walk by faith, not by sight. Second Corinthians 5 verse 7, BSB.

If today is heavy, you are not behind. You are loved, and you are not alone. I am grateful for Simpson’s reminder that songs in the night are not denial. They are trust. And trust is simply saying, Lord, You are here, and I yield to You.

Journal Entry, Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture

I am with you, and I am in you. I lead you to walk by faith and not by sight. When your eyes report only shadows, set your heart on Me, and I will steady your steps. I have united you to Jesus. You were crucified with Him, and you live to God in Him. Your old master is not your master. Reckon yourselves dead to sin and alive to Me, and present yourselves to Me for My purposes.

Abide in Me. Let My word dwell richly in you. Give thanks in everything, and I will guard your heart and mind with peace. I give you a garment of praise in place of heaviness. As you rejoice in the Lord always, I fill your mouth with a new song. I inhabit your praise, not because I am far, but because praise makes room in your awareness for what I am already doing.

I opened prison doors at midnight, and I routed armies through the chorus of trust. I have not changed. I am the Spirit of adoption in you, and I remind you that you are Mine. Fix your gaze on what is unseen, for the things you can see are temporary, but what I am working in you is eternal. Count it all joy when trials come, because your faith is being exercised, and endurance is growing into mature wholeness.

Lift your voice to Me now. Let Jesus sing through you. As you yield, I strengthen your hands, align your thoughts with truth, and turn your waiting into worship. I am faithful, and I will complete the work I began in you.

Real-Life Analogy

Think of a covered bowl of bread dough resting on the counter. You cannot see the yeast at work, but warmth and time are transforming the dough from the inside out. You do not shake the bowl or scold the yeast. You simply trust the unseen process and wait, and the rise comes.

In the same way, the risen Jesus works within you. When a tense conversation or a discouraging email lands, pause and respond from union, not strain. Whisper, Lord, I trust You with this exchange. Live Your life in me and through me as I speak, and be my patience, clarity, and courage right now. Then answer simply and honestly, without pushing or performing. That is abiding, not striving.

Prayer of Confidence

Lord, thank You that in Jesus I am alive to You and no longer ruled by what I see. Thank You that praise is already in my mouth because Your Spirit dwells in me. Thank You that prison walls and crowded worries are not ultimate, and that Your peace rules my heart as I yield to You. Today I welcome Your song in me. I receive Your courage, Your joy, and Your wisdom, and I rest in Your faithful work that turns night into morning.

Scripture References for the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture Section

2 Corinthians 5:7. Acts 16:25 to 26. 2 Chronicles 20:21 to 22. Galatians 2:20. Romans 6:6 to 11. Colossians 3:1 to 3. John 15:4 to 5. Philippians 4:4 to 7. 1 Thessalonians 5:16 to 18. Isaiah 61:3. Ephesians 5:18 to 20. Psalm 42:5. Psalm 30:5. Romans 8:14 to 17. 2 Corinthians 4:16 to 18. Psalm 27:13 to 14. James 1:2 to 4. Philippians 1:6. Psalm 22:3.