Verse of the Day 5/8

 

Verse of the Day 5/8

 

Acts 16:25-26   About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, ²⁶ and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened.  English Standard Version (ESV)

 

Our Pastor Bob started a new series this past weekend which is titled "Peace Under Pressure".  The late David Bowie wrote/sang about being under pressure, "pressure pressing down on me, pressing down on you, pressure that can bring a building down".  Paul and Silas in today's passage were definitely under pressure for proclaiming the Word of God.  They had been stripped down, beaten with rods, and placed in stocks in the "inner dungeon" of the jail, and what was their reaction?  They prayed and sang hymns to God.

 

We considered in Sunday's post how David found refuge in God, he also was known for praying,  singing hymns and praising God even in the midst of trials in his life.   Even though their current situations may have seemed hopeless, they held onto hope in faith, not just a blind faith, but a faith with substance, a faith in the God of the universe.  They had experienced His deliverance before and trusted that they would see it again and couldn't help but tell of it in song.

 

I'm reminded of the Chris Tomlin song "How Can I Keep From Singing".  I can picture David,  Paul and Silas singing similar songs in these passages.

 

How can I keep from singing Your praise
How can I ever say enough
How amazing is Your love
How can I keep from shouting Your name
I know I am loved by the King
And it makes my heart want to sing

 

I will lift my eyes
In the darkest night
For I know my Savior lives

 

And I will walk with You
Knowing You'll see me through
And sing the songs You give

I can sing in the troubled times
Sing when I win
I can sing when I lose my step
And fall down again
I can sing 'cause You pick me up
Sing 'cause You're there
I can sing 'cause You hear me, Lord
When I call to You in prayer

 

May we be able to sing and praise God through our troubles and challenges.  Like Paul and Silas, you may never know what kind of impact you'll have upon others, but perhaps it will result in someone else coming to faith in the God who delivers.

 

 

 

Blessings,

 

Mike

 

Acts 16:22-28 The Message (MSG)

^19-22 When her owners saw that their lucrative little business was suddenly bankrupt, they went after Paul and Silas, roughed them up and dragged them into the market square. Then the police arrested them and pulled them into a court with the accusation, "These men are disturbing the peace—dangerous Jewish agitators subverting our Roman law and order." By this time the crowd had turned into a restless mob out for blood.

^22-24 The judges went along with the mob, had Paul and Silas's clothes ripped off and ordered a public beating. After beating them black-and-blue, they threw them into jail, telling the jailkeeper to put them under heavy guard so there would be no chance of escape. He did just that—threw them into the maximum security cell in the jail and clamped leg irons on them.

^25-26 Along about midnight, Paul and Silas were at prayer and singing a robust hymn to God. The other prisoners couldn't believe their ears. Then, without warning, a huge earthquake! The jailhouse tottered, every door flew open, all the prisoners were loose.

^27-28 Startled from sleep, the jailer saw all the doors swinging loose on their hinges. Assuming that all the prisoners had escaped, he pulled out his sword and was about to do himself in, figuring he was as good as dead anyway, when Paul stopped him: "Don't do that! We're all still here! Nobody's run away!"

 

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