A Song In The Silence – letting go of the silence

Music – Where would I be without it? Many times the song on my lips will bring a skip to my step and brightened my mood. I love music. In my household, there is music playing or being sung on a regular basis. I know when it's silent for a long period of time, either everyone's asleep or something of great concern has transpired. There is a peace in my home when music is in the air. Put praising God to music... doesn't get any better than that! So, why is it that sometimes we stop singing; stop praising God in the midst of our struggles?


Paul and Silas sang in jail!  
  "Then the mob joined in the attack against them, and the chief magistrates stripped off their clothes and ordered them to be beaten with rods. After they had inflicted many blows on them, they threw them in jail, ordering the jailer to keep them securely guarded. Receiving such an order, he put them into the inner prison and secured their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them." ~Acts 16:22-25 (HCSB)

The inner prison in biblical days were rooms dug deep in the ground. They were cold, dark, damp, smelly, and rat infested. Not a sing-song, skipping kind of day for Paul and Silas. Beaten, cold, and chained, they prayed and sang praises to the Lord anyway. Amazing! How did they do that? What made them let go of there situation and praise God? Well, as it's written in John 3:30, "He must increase, but I must decrease (HCSB).” Paul considered all he did for the sake of the gospel. Their perspective was not on themselves but on Jesus. If you read on in Acts 16, you will see God heard there prayers and praises. He caused the earth to quake and the jail to open up; the guard and his household were lead to Christ; they were free and in His peace.

When you are having a tough day, do you sing songs of praise to God? How about in front of others? I know this is not easy – Especially when you don't feel like it. As soon as you open your mouth to sing praise to him, just wait and see how God will transform your perspective. You may not be jumping up and down, happy, but you will have a peace that surpasses all understanding. God's peace! Do you think Paul and Silas were happy about their situation? Did they think they had beautiful voices for all the prisoners to hear? I doubt it. They knew in their hearts that praising God would be better than thinking about their writhing pain or the sounds of the rodents scratching.They believed God was worthy to be praised in the midst of it all - Do you?

Just try it – let go of your silence and sing! Don't focus on your surroundings or the quality of your voice. Just Sing! God will give you His peace and peace to those around you.This is what He does for me and my household everyday.

"Lord, you are worthy to be praised. Forgive me for my silence. Let there be music again in my soul. I will let go and sing praises to you!"

© Carol Outhous Jones 2014