About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
Acts 16:25
What makes you sing?
Paul and Silas are singing at midnight in a Roman prison.
For the crime of having driven out a spirit from a slave girl, Paul, and Silas were severely flogged and imprisoned. This slave girl earned great amounts of money for her masters through her fortune-telling. And she had been following Paul and Silas, shouting out that they were servants of the Most High God, who were telling people how to be saved. When this had gone on for days, Paul finally got annoyed and drove the spirit out from the girl. This infuriated her masters and landed Paul and Silas in stocks, in this Roman prison. It is in this situation, wounded and exhausted, that they begin to sing and pray. What a place and time to sing right?
Yet, as they were singing is when the miracle happened. An earthquake occurs and all the prisoners chains were loosened. And this finally leads to the conversion of the jailer and his full family that very night. What an amazing outcome!
Some truths stand out from this incident.
- There is no right time or place to praise God. Any time is the right time to praise God
- Singing and praising the Lord benefits, not just you but those around you too.
- Praising God is often the precursor to experiencing the miracles of God
Today you may not find yourself in a physical prison, but do you feel imprisoned by your circumstances? Maybe you are limited by your education, finances, or health. Or are you facing challenging relationships or people? Do you feel all alone in a maddeningly busy world where no one seems to have time for you? Do you feel imprisoned by pressures from those around you? Whatever may be your situation would you like Paul and Silas, choose to sing and pray to God, trusting Him through your challenges?
Prayer
Lord, give me today a heart that trusts You and sings through the difficult situations of my life.
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