Sing your freedom

“The crowds joined in attacking [Paul and Silas] and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks” (Acts 16:22-24).

Have you ever been in a completely unfair situation? You were trying to do the right thing and still, somehow, you  found yourself trapped,  snared by circumstances beyond your control.

Wounded, disappointed, damaged, you are detained in the dark; feet in chains, freedom denied.

“About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s bonds were unfastened” (Acts 16:25-26).

At the blackest point of the night a glimmer of hope appears: you find your voice. You open your mouth in prayer and song. I don’t know what exact words you use, whether you cry out in lament and sorrow, or rejoice in faith, or rehearse God’s faithfulness.

But God moves the  earth in response and the very foundation of what has been locking you up is shaken to the core.

And the most beautiful thing accompanies this miracle – there is not only freedom for you, but also for everyone around you. You have unknowingly sung songs of deliverance over a whole community.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed…

Open your mouth  in a God-song today and see what happens.

I dare you.

How Emptiness Sings, Christa Wells

Click here to listen

Brother, he’s suffered like a tree taken down
Wept as he witnessed his dreams carved out
And how can a man just keep walking around
With his heart full of holes

But ooh,
His bow is on the strings
And the tune resonates in the open space
To show us how emptiness sings:

Glory to God, Glory to God!
In fullness of wisdom,
He writes my story into his song,
My life for the glory of God.
Hmm, hmmm

Sister carries her loneliness
In a hidden hollow inside her chest
And sometimes all that she wants is an end
To the long, long night

But ooh,
Her bow is on the strings,
And the tune resonates in the open space
To show us how emptiness sings:

Glory to God, Glory to God!
In fullness of wisdom,
He writes my story into his song,
My life for the glory of God.
Hmm, hmmm

I haven’t been asked yet to walk the hard roads
Still there’s a sense of deep loss in my soul
In the middle of a party, I’ll just want to go
Home.

But ooh,
My bow is on the strings,
I’m beginning to learn where to find the words
To the song that emptiness sings
Ooh, bow is on the strings:

Glory to God! Glory to God!
This is how emptiness sings, oh,
This is how emptiness sings
Hmmm, hmmm

 

You can read the story of this song on Ann Voskamp’s blog, A Holy Experience.

On Singing

“Speak to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” Ephesians 5:19

“Never be afraid of singing too much. We are more likely to be singing too little” (Amy Carmichael, p. 115).

What we sing, we celebrate. What we sing about, we have faith in. What we sing about is what our heart is attached to and wants to say. Not sure about this? Think about birthdays, sports events, going to see bands play. You can be in an intimate family setting, or a stadium with thousands and thousands of people, and still be singing.

Singing is so powerful because we hear the words, out loud, coming out of our own mouths. And somehow the music infuses them with this ability to reach deep inside us. The physicality of it manages to unify us, mind, body and spirit. It also creates unity with those singing around us. The beauty of that is that we don’t have to all be singing the exact same thing. There is plenty of room for different harmonies. But we do have to be in tune. This is not about musicianship, but about heart attitude.

We listen, like a maestro violinist tuning before a concert. The more experienced you are, the more you notice even the tiniest adjustments you need to make to be perfectly in tune. We listen to our hearts and make sure they are in tune with what the Spirit is saying. We listen to the Spirit and make sure our harmony is in the right key, that it fits well and compliments his melody. We change where we need to, but we keep on opening our mouths to sing.

So tune up and tune in and sing! Sing in church, sing in the shower, sing in your car. Sing out loud, sing in your head. Sing, and you will find you are celebrating, having faith and attaching your heart, mind and soul to what you most believe in.