Mud Singing

William McRaven, who commanded the Navy SEALS remembered a particular night in his own training. The group spent the night in the Mud Flats, a bog between San Diego and Tijuana. Rainwater flows through it.

The night wind chilled the men and they had to sleep in the mud. Cold and muddy, many of the group considered giving up. Yet, they still had 8 hours before daylight. Then someone started singing.

The song was terribly out of tune but sung with great enthusiasm. One voice became two, and two became three, and before long, everyone in the class was singing.

We knew that if one man could rise above the misery, then others could as well. The instructors threatened us with more time in the mud if we kept up the singing—but the singing persisted. And somehow, the mud seemed a little warmer, the wind a little tamer and the dawn not so far away.

Singing brings us together and encourages the downtrodden. Once a person sings, he feels better.

That is why in Acts 16, all a pair of beaten and blood missionaries could do was sing. When Paul and Silas sang, the prisoners listened. Joy in jail is a rare moment.

So, when you feel the worst, sing a song to God. He will love it and you will feel better.