December 13, 2021 SINGING IN STORM
Acts 16:23-25 “And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison, and fastened their feet in the stocks. But about midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them;”
Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!”
We have no problem singing hymns of praise when we are on a spiritual mountain top; but what about when we are suffering and experiencing great difficulties. Obviously, Paul and Silas had something within them that enabled them rejoice in the worst of circumstances. I doubt that Paul and Silas were joking and laughing after being beaten and being put in stocks; but they were praying and singing praises to God. What was it that caused, or enabled them to respond to their trials in the way they did, and what can we learn from them? I’m not sure I can answer that question completely; what little suffering I have endured does not nearly compare to the sufferings of Paul and Silas, and many other believers of their day. I do know that to sing hymns of praise to God in the storms of life calls for something that we do not possess in our flesh; it calls for an awareness of the presence of God even in our darkness moments. Singing praises in the trial flows out of a living, on-going relationship with God; it comes out of experiencing the work of God in the past and knowing first-hand His faithfulness. As we come to know and experience God, we know that whatever He allows to come our way, He has a purpose in it, and we have His promise that He will be with us in the trial. We do not start out as mature believers, we must grow in in the faith and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As we mature, we gain the assurance that He is always with us and that He uses all things for good. Our rejoicing and singing praises is not always based on feelings; sometimes it is a choice; we choose to because we know our God. There are times when we grieve and mourn, but even in such times we do so with an underlying assurance that our God is good, and that He is sufficient. 1 Thessalonians 4:13b tells us as believers, that we “may not grieve as others do who have no hope.” Let us pray sing praises to God not only when things are great, but let us also pray and sing our praises to God when trials and difficulties come; we can do so because we know that our God is good, He loves us, He is faithful, and He uses all things for our good. Suffering and experiencing trials is no fun-but our God is greater than whatever we face. Instead of complaining about the storm, start singing praises to God.
James 1:12 “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him.”
Romans 5:3-4 “Not only that, but we rejoice in our suffering, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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