Spiritual Journeys: Joy and Singing - Bible Study Blog for February 23

The Big Question: Is joy dependent on circumstances?

Meditation Song: Matt Maher – Joyful Noise

We read the story of Paul and Silas in prison from Acts 16:16-32. The two apostles are in the Greek City of Philippi preaching the Gospel, and there they encounter a slave girl with a spirit of divination, who generated considerable profits for her owners. For many days, she shouted aloud that Paul and Silas are “slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.” Paul becomes annoyed, and commands the spirit to come out of the girl. But this enrages their owners, who drag Paul and Silas before the magistrates, accusing them of “advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.” The magistrates order them to be stripped, flogged, beaten, and chained in stocks in the jail. 

In the middle of the night, while they are still in agony from their wounds, Paul and Silas begin to sing. As they sing, there is a violent earthquake, and the doors of the prison are flung open, and everyone’s chains are loosened. The jailer is about to kill himself when Paul stops him—and ultimately, he and his entire household are baptized.

Clearly, God brought joy to Paul and Silas through their singing—and this joy shook the walls of the prison and revealed the glory of God to the other prisoners, as well as the jailer and his family. Joy isn’t simply a feeling of happiness; it is a spirit of hope in the face of adversity and a confidence that God’s love will triumph.

We then watched a video about the origins of Negro Spirituals. African slaves were often forced to attend the church services of their slave-masters, and hear sermons their masters believed legitimized their enslavement. After the services ended, the slaves would gather outside the churches, often in secret, and would sing and dance. Since music and dance were very much a part of African culture, the slaves began to create songs about the people and stories they heard from the Bible. It was through these songs that they were able to connect with the crucified Christ who was present in their suffering, and whose death and resurrection promised freedom and liberation.

“They got through it by singing,” a professor of music said in an interview. The songs and spirituals they sang became like oxygen, which helped the slaves to survive and keep the faith that they would one day be free. 

God uses three gifts to create joy: the Gospel, the people, and the music. Music draws out our deepest pains, our greatest fears, and most passionate longings. It connects us with fellow Christians across space and time. It draws us closer to each other as a worshiping body. It writes the promises of the Gospel into our minds, and helps us to experience the Gospel with our senses. 

There can never be enough joy in the Christian life, and we have a long way to go as a church to bring out the joy of the Lord when we come together. We need to be open to new songs and styles of worship. We need to loosen up and not be afraid to make a joyful noise, even if we can’t carry a tune. We need to be vulnerable with one another. Instead of trying to keep our joys and concerns private, we need to be willing to share them with each other. We come not to worship Jesus as individuals but to worship as one body.

Joy lives in community. When we come together to hear the Word, sing hymns, and share a meal, there will be joy.

It all comes down to a simple question: do you trust God? If you do, and live your life upon that belief, there will be joy.