Dear Friends,
When slaves labored in the fields of the South their songs echoed throughout the land. Some of the songs were 'code songs' to send messages guiding people to freedom. Some of the songs were lullabies for the infants they brought to the fields with them. Many songs were about Bible stories and others were about the hope of freedom.
Paul and Silas must have been an inspiration to them. In Acts 16:25 it says, "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises to God: and the prisoners heard them." Their singing caused an earthquake and the keeper of the prison desired to have faith like they had.
Many of the slave songs expressed the emotions they could relate to in the Bible passages about slavery, oppression, poverty and imprisonment. The Spirituals that they sang became accepted as authentic spiritual utterances much like the Psalms. Many of these songs were mournful but others were filled with joy. They could identify with the oppressed and their music was drawn from the depths of their hearts.
In the 1870's a group of ex-slaves called the Fisk Jubilee Singers traveled the U.S. and Britain, even singing at the White House, to raise awareness and raise funds for colleges for their people.
Today the Syrian Christians are being killed, persecuted and enslaved. Pray for our brothers and sisters and look for ways to minister to them. May they find songs in the depths of their souls that they can use to lift one another up and be a light to those who persecute them.
Psalms 126: 6
"They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest."
Singing is a very special thing, isn't it. When it's used in worship, or to convey a message like you said the slaves did. It's like the sound of the heart that can always be free, even if the body is under oppression.
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