Around midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a great earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! Acts 16:25-26
Paul and Silas’s praise lifted their eyes from their dire circumstances in a filthy prison to the God who was able to deliver them. They had been stripped and beaten and then thrown into the inner prison with their feet fastened into stocks. It would have been natural for these two disciples to be fearful or to just give up. But instead, they prayed and sang hymns to God! The other prisoners heard their praise—the throne of God heard their worship. The Lord delivered them with a mighty earthquake that rocked the prison to its core, causing the doors to open and the prisoners’ chains to fall off.
Are you shaken by your own circumstances? Is your inclination to be fearful or to give up? Start praising God and sing hymns and choruses to him. Our praise not only helps to lift our fear and depression; it also ushers in God’s powerful intervention on our behalf.
LORD, I praise you for your mighty power at work in our lives. I magnify your name, for there is none like you! When I look at my circumstances and am tempted to “throw in the towel” and give up, remind me of the example of Paul and Silas and how you intervened for them. Then put words of praise in my mouth. You are my hope in the midst of trouble!
Your praise and thanksgiving can help form a highway—a smooth, level road—on which the Lord can ride forth unhindered to deliver and bless. Ruth Myers
This is an excerpt from: Praying Through the Bible
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