Peterson’s artistic successes may be surpassed by his skill in connecting people, embodied in the Rabbit Room online community (RabbitRoom.com), which gathers contributions from authors, songwriters, and pastors, encouraging creativity and referencing its ultimate source. The thread of community, also a theme of Counting Stars, imbues his beloved annual Christmas show, Behold The Lamb Of God, a long-running multi-artist tour based on Peterson’s original Christmas album of the same name. In all of these works, Peterson’s listeners can hear reminders that community, beauty, and hope all point back to the God “who gave music the power to carry his light into the darkness.” Andrew, his wife Jamie, and their three children make their home in Nashville.
In The Night
Andrew Peterson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the darkness with the fear, in the darkness with the fear
But he met the morning wounded with a blessing
So in the night, my hope lives on
When Elisha woke surrounded by the forces
Of the enemies of God, the enemies of God
He saw the hills aflame with angels on their horses
Oh in the night
Oh in the night
Oh in the night
My hope lives on
I see the slave that toils beneath the yoke unyielding
And I can hear the captive groan, hear the captive groan
For some hand to stay the whip his foe is wielding
Still in the night, my hope lives on
I see the armies of the enemy approaching
And the people driven, trembling, to the shore
But a doorway through the waters now is opening
So in the night, my hope lives on
Like the son who thought he'd gone beyond forgiveness,
Too ashamed to lift his head--but if he could lift his head
He would see his father running from a distance
In the night, my hope lives on
I can see the crowd of men retreating
As He stands between the woman and their stones
And if mercy in His holy heart is beating
Then in the night, my hope lives on
I remember how they scorned the son of Mary
He was gentle as a lamb, gentle as a lamb
He was beaten, He was crucified, and buried
And in the night, my hope was gone
But the rulers of this earth could not control Him
No they did not take His life--He laid it down
All the chains of earth could never hope to hold Him
So in the night, my hope lives on
I can see the Son of Man descending
And the sword He swings is brighter than the dawn
And the gates of hell will never stand against Him
So in the night, my hope lives on
The lyrics of the song “In the Night” by Andrew Peterson talks about the hope that people can keep even during the darkest of times. The song makes several references to characters from biblical stories who survived and persisted through difficult moments. The pain and fear of Jacob’s wrestling, the armies of enemies approaching, the toiling of a slave, and the captivity groaning of the oppressed are all situations that may seem hopeless. However, hope still thrives in these stories because of the blessings, the angels on horses, the open doorways, and the mercy that were shown in these situations.
The song also depicts the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus. It recalls how the son of Mary was beaten, crucified, and buried, which seemed to have completely eliminated hope. Nevertheless, the lyrics assert that the hope was restored as Jesus proved that he could not be controlled by the rulers of the earth, and he laid down his life.
Overall, the message of the song is about enduring hope and faith even in the darkest of circumstances. The song reminds us of the power of hope and the light of faith that can guide us even in the midst of the darkest night.
Line by Line Meaning
I am weary with the pain of Jacob's wrestling
I am tired from constantly battling with my faith
In the darkness with the fear, in the darkness with the fear
I am struggling with my faith in the midst of fear and uncertainty
But he met the morning wounded with a blessing
But after Jacob's struggle with God, he was blessed and renewed in spirit
So in the night, my hope lives on
So even in my darkest moments, I hold on to hope and faith
When Elisha woke surrounded by the forces
When Elisha awakened to find himself surrounded by enemies
Of the enemies of God, the enemies of God
Who opposed God and His followers
He saw the hills aflame with angels on their horses
He witnessed God's army of angels coming to his defense
Oh in the night
In the midst of darkness and fear
My hope lives on
I hold on to hope and faith
I see the slave that toils beneath the yoke unyielding
I observe those who are oppressed and working tirelessly
And I can hear the captive groan, hear the captive groan
And I can hear the cries of those who are oppressed and held captive
For some hand to stay the whip his foe is wielding
For someone to come and save them from their oppressor
Still in the night, my hope lives on
Even in the darkest moments, I hold on to hope and faith
I see the armies of the enemy approaching
I see the enemy coming to attack
And the people driven, trembling, to the shore
And the people are scared and running towards the shore
But a doorway through the waters now is opening
But a path is opening up through the water, leading to salvation
Like the son who thought he'd gone beyond forgiveness,
Like the prodigal son who thought he was unforgivable
Too ashamed to lift his head--but if he could lift his head
Too embarrassed to look up, but if he could muster the courage
He would see his father running from a distance
He would see his father coming to embrace him from afar
I can see the crowd of men retreating
I can see the group of people leaving, defeated
As He stands between the woman and their stones
As Jesus stands between the woman and the men with stones, protecting her
And if mercy in His holy heart is beating
If there is mercy in Jesus' heart
Then in the night, my hope lives on
Then even during the darkest moments, I hold on to hope and faith
I remember how they scorned the son of Mary
I recall how Jesus was mocked and belittled, despite being the son of Mary
He was gentle as a lamb, gentle as a lamb
He was kind and gentle, even in the face of adversity
He was beaten, He was crucified, and buried
He was tortured, crucified, and buried
And in the night, my hope was gone
In the darkest moments, my hope was lost
But the rulers of this earth could not control Him
But even those in power could not control Jesus
No they did not take His life--He laid it down
He chose to sacrifice himself, rather than allowing others to take his life
All the chains of earth could never hope to hold Him
No earthly chains could restrain him
So in the night, my hope lives on
So even during the darkest moments, my hope and faith are unshakeable
I can see the Son of Man descending
I can envision Jesus returning to Earth
And the sword He swings is brighter than the dawn
And the weapon He wields is powerful and radiant
And the gates of hell will never stand against Him
And even the forces of darkness and evil cannot overcome Him
So in the night, my hope lives on
So even during the darkest moments, my hope and faith will never falter
Contributed by Elijah D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.