Night Song

Ellie Holcomb's “Night Song” is a lullaby for people who cannot sleep. Morning feels far away, questions keep the singer awake, and she asks God to sing his night song. It is the kind of prayer that comes up in the hours when worries seem louder.

The verses name the problems: lies that own her, fear that makes it hard to breathe, and unmet longings that steal her mind. She asks him to calm her heart with his lullaby and promise that he will never leave. The pre-chorus describes what she hopes to hear, the truth that sings into the darkness and the melody of love that leads her on. It calls him the voice that comforts all her sadness and asks him to be her night song even when the suffering is long. The chorus is the repeated plea, be my night song. Her songs often turn Scripture into simple prayers. The arrangement is quiet and slow, and the melody can be sung to a child at bedtime as well as in a service. It will speak to anyone who has been awake with worry, grief or a sick family member, and it suits a prayer meeting or a time of reflection in the evening.

The song of the Lord in the night is Psalm 42:8. Lying down in peace is Psalm 4:8, and quieting by his love is Zephaniah 3:17.