How could Paul and Silas sing in their terrible circumstances? They were in a strange city far away from home. They were risking their lives to proclaim Christ to people who resented them and bitterly opposed their message. Men with selfish motives had spread lies about their work and had demanded their arrest. The town officials ordered that they be beaten and thrown into prison.

It was under these conditions that Paul and Silas were singing. How can we account for this? The answer is clear. They could sing in the dark because they were doing what God wanted them to do.

The midnight songs of those two men remind me of the nightingale. Observers of this remarkable bird have wondered why it continues to sing after sundown. While other birds are quiet, the lilting melodies of this creature can still be heard. The dark does not silence its song. The nightingale sings at night because that's what God designed it to do.

When we walk with the Lord, we can have a song even in the midst of trouble. We won't be discouraged by circumstances. Our joy will be in doing what the Savior wants us to do. Our greatest delight will be knowing God and singing of Him, even in the dark.  — Mart De Haan