"But at midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God and the prisoners were listening to them." v25 Act 16:25-30 NKJV
Picture the scene, Paul and Silas had been severely beaten, possibly with rods, and placed into the inner prison - rather like a dungeon where other prisoners could view them. The charge against them? They had been found guilty of preaching Jesus and casting out a spirit from a girl who practiced fortune telling, making her master very rich. They were cut and bleeding, cold and wet and placed in stocks with their legs chained as they sat in a rat-infested filthy place. Were they angry? No, they were praising God! Amazing; Paul and Silas in obvious pain and discomfort, praised God, singing out loud in the eerie darkness while the other prisoners listened to them.
Jesus is not bound by darkness, not at all because He is the Light. He created an earthquake to shake the prison. This was not a natural earthquake but, a supernatural one and in that darkness when Light struck, chains fell off and doors were opened and they were all free. The prison-keeper, fearing for his life, threatened to kill himself rather than suffer the Roman discipline for losing prisoners. But Paul shouted to him, not to do this and the man and his whole family were saved that day, and not one of the prisoners escaped v27-31.
The answer to despair, hardships and troubles is praise because, it brings release. It shatters the darkness and allows Light (Jesus) to enter your situation and bring about change. In fact, whatever problem you may be going through at this time can be changed by praising God. It opens doors, makes chains fall off and brings freedom.
Just think, you have a trouble-filled situation, so:
(1) You pray and praise God
(2) People may witness this and be changed themselves
(3) You are seeking Good first
(4) And the result is, freedom. That is the formula.
In bad situations, the last thing you feel like doing is praising God but, break through that because when you do, the darkness-busting, power-filled Light of Jesus Christ will bring so much energy into your situation that it will feel like you are having your own, spiritual earthquake.
Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.
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