Bible Reading: Genesis 17; Nehemiah 6; Matthew 16; Acts 16
Acts 16:25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
Paul and Silas had led Lydia and her household to Christ. As they walked through the streets of Philippi, a young girl with a spirit of divination followed them announcing that Paul and Silas were servants of the most high God and they came to show the way of salvation. Isn't it amazing that the demon inside her knew exactly who these men where? The demons know Jesus! Every day, this girl would follow them and say this as they walked the streets. Finally, Paul commanded the spirit to come out of her in the name of Jesus Christ.
This ended the profitability of this young girl who was exploited by those who employed her. She was able to make them a lot of money by soothsaying (fortune telling). Now that was all over and her masters had Paul and Silas thrown into prison. Why were these men singing praises to God in the middle of the night? I believe two things were going on.
First, they were rejoicing that they had suffered for the name of Christ. Jesus said:
Matthew 5:10-12 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
They were also praying and as they sang and prayed, they were a witness to the others in the jail with them. Philippi was an interesting ministry. There apparently was no synagogue there so they went to the river and led Lydia to Christ. Now when the earthquake opened the jail doors, they were able to lead the jailer to Christ.
Paul and Silas were singing and praying because they were praising the God who works in mysterious ways! Nothing in Philippi was by the book. However, these men knew that they had been called to be witnesses to Jesus Christ. God can work in any circumstances and does not always do things the same way every time.
Would you allow God to work in your life in any and all circumstances? Would you see yourself as a witness for Christ everywhere you are? Would you realize that God is worthy of praise even if you are locked up? When you praise God, others may hear you!
In Christ,
Rody
