Time to… Sing?

Acts 16:25

Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening.

Philippi had not been kind to Paul and Silas. They cast a demon out of girl, and that upset her handlers who were using her for financial gain. They took them to local officials who had Paul and Silas severely beaten with rods, then they threw them in jail.

Not a good day!

Then around midnight Paul and Silas are sitting in their cell, singing and praying. What? And they weren’t singing songs like “Nobody knows the troubles I seen…” Nope, they were singing hymns! The dictionary describes a hymn as “a religious song or poem of praise to God.” What do they have to praise God about? They’ve been beaten and thrown in jail.

But Paul and Silas knew something. They knew that God is still God, even in the rough times. Yeah, you may be going through the ringer right now, but God is still there. He still loves you and he is just as powerful as ever, so praising him is appropriate, even necessary.

It is also interesting that the other prisoners aren’t telling them to shut up, they are listening. When we are going through tough times there are all kinds of people listening to us seeing if God is real.

So if you are going though it, start singing! Praise God for his goodness and his mercy. It is vital that God is not just a fair-weather friend to us. He is the God of good times AND bad. Lean on him and praise him. It will strengthen you, and you never know who might be watching and listening.

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