SCRIPTURE:
Acts 16:22-26
22 A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. 23 They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. 24 So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks. 25 Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. 26 Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off!
OBSERVATION:
Paul and Silas had been arrested, beaten and thrown into a prison. The prisons in that day were nothing like what we see today. They were literally caves in the ground if you can just imagine. In the middle of that dark place, not knowing what would happen next, after all they had been through, their choice was to simply praise the Lord! That decision changed everything about their situation. They didn’t allow the things around them to silence them from giving honor to God OUT LOUD without reservation. And, because of their choice, not only was their circumstance changed, but the circumstances of everyone around them.
APPLICATION:
In every situation you face, you have a choice in how you will respond. It’s easy to praise God when everything is going right, but how do you respond when things get difficult? How could your response to choose praise in a difficult moment affect those around you? If you’re brave enough to ask yourself these questions, you will be tested. You already have the answer to the test though. There are no trick questions. Praise in the only answer!
PRAYER:
Lord! I know there will be moments when I’m going to struggle in this life. Today, I have decided to praise you no matter what comes my way! I will open my mouth and give you glory, so that others will know just how wonderful You are. I won’t be ashamed to be foolish in other’s eyes if it brings glory to You! Let my praise in difficulty be a testimony that will change the lives of those around me. Amen!