I awoke with a start and sat bolt upright in bed. I had broken out in a cold sweat, and the room felt like it would swallow me whole. It was a couple of weeks before Christmas, and I'd just had a dream that started out beautifully. I was in Bethlehem on the night that Christ was born. The streets were bustling with activity, unaware of the great miracle that had occurred in a modest stable built into a small cave on the edge of the city. As I pushed my way through the crowds, I worked my way toward the quieter streets, with hardly a passing person in sight. I was on my way to worship the newborn King.
When I came to the edge of the city, I looked skyward, searching for the star of Bethlehem. But, the sky was empty of stars. It was pitch black. Still, I was able to stumble my way through the darkness, the beam of my lantern cutting through the night. I felt an urgency, drawing me onward until I finally came upon a small cave with a wooden fence and doorway. With trembling hand, I opened the door to the stable. I knew in my heart that this was where Christ lay in the manger. When I opened the door, the lantern flooded the small stable, and I saw the manger. It was empty. Christ had not been born. It was at that moment when I awoke, with a anguished cry rising up in my throat.
As I sat bolt upright in bed, I kept asking myself, "Without that night, what would my life be?" My lips trembled and tears filled my eyes. At first, that was all that I could say. And then, the words started to flow:
Without that night, tell me what would life be?
Without that man from Galillee
No star to guide us safely through
Without Jesus, can you tell, What would you do?
I have never known the helplessness and hopelessness that I did that night, sitting there in the darkness.
As I sat there, more words and a melody formed in my mind and a song was given to me.
These are the words. I recorded this song as the title track on a CD that I did of my Gospel Quartet. It is still a hard song to sing, or even to introduce.
Without That Night by Jerry Rasmussen
Copyright 1999
Without that night, tell me what would life be?
Without that man from Galilee
No star to guide us safely through
Without Jesus, can you tell me, what would you do?
Chorus:
And when you awake in the morning
Who would guide you through your day?
And who would be there beside you
If you needed to kneel down and pray?
Could you find any hope in tomorrow?
Could you face the future alone?
When you come to the end of your Journey
Who’d be there to carry you home?
If the stable was empty, all quiet and still
With no start brightly shining on the crest of the hill
No angels to sing of his glory divine
No Wise Men to travel, the baby to find
Without his love, and the price that he paid
Who could you turn to, your soul to save?
He’s my light in the darkness, my calm in the storm
Sweet Jesus, Blessed Savior, thank God you were born
Jerry Rasmussen
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