The Unlikeliest Hymn

In this week’s devotions, we’re going to look at the book of Acts—specifically, the people, situations, encounters, and experiences that laid the groundwork for the church as we know it today. And we’re going to start with one of the most famous worship scenes in the New Testament.

Have you ever been awakened in the middle of the night by a Christian song or worship chorus running through your mind? If so, then that’s a pretty good indication that you’re laying up the things of God in your heart. Instead of waking up with the latest pop music in your head, you’re thinking of a praise chorus or maybe even a Scripture verse. That is a “song in the night” that God has given you. And that places you in some pretty good company.

In the city of Philippi, Paul and Silas were thrown into prison for doing the Lord’s work. Prisons in those days were far more primitive than they are today. Archaeologists have discovered what they believe was the actual prison where Paul and Silas were held. It was nothing more than a dark hole, without ventilation—a hot and horrible place to be.

How did these two servants of God respond to their brutal predicament? “Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening” (Acts 16:25 NLT).

The word listening is significant. In the original language, it means to listen very carefully. Another way to translate the phrase is “they listened with pleasure.”

I doubt that the other prisoners had ever heard anyone sing in that dungeon before. And I think the simple fact that Paul and Silas were singing at all in such a place was a powerful testimony. It takes a special spiritual perspective to recognize a dark, airless dungeon as a platform for evangelism. Believers can talk about trusting God in adversity all we want. But when people see that trust in action in our lives, our testimony takes on an undeniable authenticity. Our witness becomes exponentially more powerful. Our faith becomes more real, more practical, and more desirable to others. Worship can be a powerful tool for unbelievers to be exposed to.

The great British preacher C. H. Spurgeon said, “Any man can sing in the day . . . It is easy to sing when we can read the notes by daylight; but he is the skillful singer who can sing when there is not a ray of light by which to read . . . Songs in the night come only from God; they are not in the power of man.”

When you’re in pain, the midnight hour (in the figurative or literal sense) is not the easiest time for a worship service. But God can give you songs in the night. And never doubt it: People will be listening.

Reflection question: What might a “song in the night” look like in your life? Discuss this with believers like you on Harvest Discipleship!

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