The faint sounds of singing resonate through the pitch black night as you stoop down low and feel your way through roughly chiseled solid rock tunnels.  The air is heavy, damp, and overflowing with the stench of human misery, open sewage, and death.  You blindly approach the music, slowly moving past door after door.  Each within has it’s own distinct sounds of; pain, muffled anguish, the soft sliding of heavy chains, bitterness, or silence.  The obvious question emerges: “Why on earth would anyone be singing at midnight in the depths of this hell-hole?”

Get the picture?  (If you didn’t, please re-read the first paragraph.)

You’ve been told this story before you know . . .

Don’t remember?

It’s the story of Paul and Silas singing in prison after having been beaten and locked up for preaching the Gospel.  You can read all about it in Acts chapter 16.

Now, if I had just endured an unjust and severe flogging and then thrown into a cesspool of a jail I don’t know if I would then begin to sing out . . . “How great is our God, sing with me – how great – how great is our God.”

I think I would probably shout: “MEDIC !”  Then, call my lawyer and get the whole lawsuit thing going.  But sing?  You gotta be kidding me!

Why were Paul and Silas different?  Why did they sing in the middle of horrific pain and immeasurably gruesome circumstances?  Answer:

They trusted in God instead of themselves.

Do I do that?  Do you? I hope you do . . .

Here’s my point:

Why not take God at His Word

instead of always trying to do it our way

• The Bible says that when we take our focus off our problem and worship God He will fight on our behalf.  Paul and Silas knew that and they trusted God.
• The Bible says He is our provider.  Trust Him for that.
• The Bible says to be anxious for nothing.  But instead, pray and give thanks.  Have you tried that lately?
• The Bible says to honor your father and mother that it may go well with you.  How “well” is it going?
• The Bible says to give and it will be given back to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over.  Well . . . ?

“How on earth can we disregard God’s Word and either go our own way, or outright disobey and then expect Him to bless us?”

The Bible says that us men should love our wives as Christ loved the church and gave (i.e. died) Himself for her.  Are we doing that men?

The Bible says that from the abundance of the heart – the mouth speaks.  What’s in our hearts?  (answer: whatever we are worshipping)

The Bible says that we are to trust Him with all our hearts and acknowledge Him in all our ways and He WILL direct our paths.  Got direction?

What was the result of Paul and Silas’s obedience?  A few verses later the jailer (position of influence) invited Jesus to be his Lord and Savior . . . and his whole household!

Again, why do we expect Him to make exceptions for us?  Why do we do an “end run” around His ways and still expect His blessing?

• How about looking to God first.
• Pray first.
• Put Him first.
• Go to the Word first.

Instead of trusting in ourselves . . .  (the “creation” rather than the “Creator”)  let’s trust Him!

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

Matthew 6:33

Keep looking to Jesus!  Love you Guys,

Steve   🙂