What do you think of nighttime? Some synonyms for the word include hours of darkness, night, dark, and darkness. Sometimes, we refer to life’s difficulties as nighttime, and we look forward to daytime when things will be different. What do we do while we wait for the clarity of the day? The easiest option is to worry; some even get depressed, short-tempered, and withdrawn, even though we know and tell ourselves we should be praying.
Paul and
Silas took a different path. They had been jailed by the authorities. Although
they could have lain awake worrying, they sang praises to God. They could have
wondered what their fate would be in the morning, how they could get out
of their situation, and on and on. Instead, they praised God, knowing He
knew all about their situation, that He’d rescue them, and could bring good out
of that situation.
How did they
get to be in jail anyway? They hadn’t committed any crime; they were doing what
they believed was right. They had cast out a demon from a slave
girl who was making money for her owners by fortune-telling. Needless to say,
the owners were unhappy when they lost their source of income. Consequently,
Paul and Silas were brought before the magistrate, who had them imprisoned (see Acts 16:16-24).
Are you
struggling with a situation (darkness) in your life that was not the result of
anything you’ve done wrong? What are you doing about it? Are you trying to
justify yourself, thinking about how unfair life has been to you, or are you
going to pray and sing amid your trouble? From experience, the apostle Paul knew the
benefits of giving thanks in all circumstances, including dark ones (see Romans
8:28).
How did their jail experience end? You might ask. God responded; He intervened! He sent an
earthquake, violent enough to shake the prison's foundations, fling the
prison doors open, and loosen every prisoner’s chains. Before the earthquake,
Paul and Silas did not know how, when, or if God would intervene, but
they trusted Him to work it all out. And He did!
result
Like the
three Jewish boys in Babylon (see Daniel 3:1-30), God’s deliverance or
intervention was not the basis of their decisions to praise or obey God; it was
their determination to obey God, no matter the outcome. Can you and I just
trust God with our problems in an attitude of praise? If we postpone praise
until the night is past, we might not be praising any time soon because with
God, one day is like a thousand and a thousand like a day.
Through that
experience, the jailer and all his family became Christians. So, all things did
work out for good. People were saved;
Paul and Silas experienced God’s faithfulness repeatedly. The Bible doesn’t
name the song they were singing, and I don’t think that makes any difference. Most importantly, they were praying and singing hymns to God. Their night didn’t stop them from singing. Does yours?
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