Learning How to be Daring & Dynamic

Read Acts 16:16-40

Focus Verses: Acts 16:29-31

And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. The he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

I can't begin this post without saying, "THANK YOU," to Chris Baxter for the second half of our study in Acts. What an important book of the Bible!

Today's scripture passage is well known. Yet, every time I read it, I notice something new and different. When I read the first time today, I noticed the world Paul & Silas lived in was upside down. They were thrown in prison for seeing the pain of a young slave girl and healing her. Not only that, the process seems to have been completely acceptable, because there's no record of any sort of push back. Can you imagine? The young girl was given freedom in an instant, but Paul & Silas were thrown in prison because her owners could no longer profit from her pain.

Can you imagine living in a world where human life (THE imago Dei) is valued only by the monetary value it brings? Oh yeah.... that's the world we live in today. It must be one of the realities that grieves the heart of God like nothing else.

So, Paul & Silas were beaten and sent to prison. As they sat in these uncomfortable circumstances inside of a world that wasn't promising them anything better on the horizon, Paul and Silas chose to worship God. They CHOSE to worship God! I can almost guarantee they did not feel like it. And, through their worship, God moved in a mighty way.

Now, did Paul & Silas worship so that they'd be set free? I see no mention of their motivation, but somehow I believe that answer is, "no." They worshiped because they believed in the Most High God. They trusted that He'd not left them or forsaken them. They had faith that God still had a plan for their lives. So, they worshiped Him. And, goodness, God had a plan.

An earthquake came, the cells shook open, and Paul & Silas were made free. They just didn't run away. They remained with the jailer until he understood what was happening and said, "YES," to Jesus.

What is your unfair situation today?

Who has treated you poorly even after you did something good?

How have you been disappointed in the way life has turned out for you?

I won't make light of any answer to these questions. They all speak to disappointment, pain, and loss. We can name it! We don't have to ignore our negative feelings and emotions so that we can worship God.

I just don't believe Paul and Silas sat in their prison ignoring the pain of their bodies. I have a hard time believing their pep talks for each other went something like, "God is good all the time!" I actually believe they sat in the pain of all of their wounds AND held on to the love and faithfulness of a good God who cares for His children in less than good situations. Worship was the natural outcome.

Their evangelism strategy was to cry out to God in a time of need. I believe the message of this passage of scripture is that our trust for our Heavenly Father is the point!

Read our focus verses again. It doesn't sound like Paul and Silas white knuckled their way through this difficult scenario. It also doesn't sound like they shared the Roman Road with the jailer. It looks like they experienced their pain and cried out to the Lord in it. And, the jailer liked what he saw.

Yes! Live today dedicated to honesty and sincerity no matter the circumstance in your relationship with God. It will be contagious!

God, I wonder how I would respond in a situation like Paul and Silas shared in today's reading. I pray You'll pour out Your presence so fully on all of us that we can't help but worship You even in our pain. We want to trust You with our whole lives. Amen.