Prison is different for each of us.

Perhaps for the great composer Beethoven, it was the quiet walls of silence which overtook his music-loving ears at the age of thirty.

But the man who had played for kings refused to let his prison determine his daily life. He sawed the legs off his pianos, sat on the floor and absorbed the vibrations of the piano keys. He continued to compose.

One of our most joyous hymns was inspired by the final movement of his Ninth Symphony. Henry van Dyke took Beethoven’s tune and wrote the joy infused “Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee,” a tremendously exuberant hymn born out of Beethoven’s silent prison!

While many of us haven’t had our faithfulness to God tested behind bars, we still suffer from figurative prisons. Like Beethoven, they may separate us from our dearest loves. Forfeiting certain foods, limiting mobility, chaining ourselves to medicines or to difficult people can create a prison.

When we encounter tests of our faith, we have several options. Some run away. Some lose control of their temper. Others accuse God of bad judgment. I pray you will keep trust in the God we love, allowing whatever “prison” you are in to lead to beautiful music for Him.