Awakening Faith: Hope From the Global Churchਨਮੂਨਾ

Singing in the Shadows

During COVID, many believers turned to online worship, videos, and livestreams. I’ll never forget one story from a small nation in Southeast Asia. A persecuted sister wanted to join in with the global church’s songs of praise. But she couldn’t step into a sanctuary. She couldn’t even raise her voice.

So she slipped quietly into her closet. And there, with fear of being overheard, she began to whisper her songs to Jesus. Her praise could barely be heard by human ears, but heaven resounded with her faith.

That image still grips me: whispered worship rising like thunder in the throne room of God. Her joy in Christ could not be silenced, even when her voice had to be hushed.

Worship is not about performance; it’s about praise and His presence. It’s not about lights, sound systems, or freedom of expression. It’s about declaring, in the face of fear, that Jesus is worthy. That’s what Paul and Silas did in Acts 16. With bruises on their backs and chains on their feet, they sang hymns at midnight. And the prisoners were listening.

Their worship was a defiant declaration of hope that cannot be shackled, silenced, or shut away.

If your worship were reduced to whispers in the dark, would it still carry joy? Would Christ still be enough?