Prison Praise


Acts 16:25


But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns unto God, and the prisoners were listening to them;

Paul and Silas have been unjustly beaten by the magistrate mafia. They are put in jail with feet is stocks. No way to treat out-of-towners. What would the Visitor Bureau say: "Stay & Suffer?"  It is midnight. Time to pray and praise God. 

If we are not convicted by Paul and Silas' praying and praising God, I think we really are not putting ourselves in their stocks. We somehow dismiss how remarkable their attitude is in the adversity they have experienced.  The Greek word for listening conveys a careful and concentrated intent hearing. Paul and Silas' disposition is literally earth shattering, with the earthquake to follow. The world takes notice. This ain't normal.    

We have to be extremely careful in assessing God's character through the conditions of our circumstances. God attributes are not subject to the "ifs" of our lives. Like this: If I have what I want, then God is good. Such a commercial spirit is not the Gospel.  Now, we can't ramp up and generate internally the praise on our own. We must first pray, and then God fills us with praise. Cause and Effect: Pray then Praise. He gives us and we give back. Like a mirror. 

Faith is not dependent on the vagaries of fancy and the vanity fair of the world. It is trust in God based on  His eternal character and His promises that all wrongs will be righted, including our wayward hearts. He chooses the means in decreeing how this is to transpire in time and place, including prison. We must trust His ways.     

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