Praise the Lord even in your agony!

Acts 16:22-34

And the crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas. Then the officials tore the clothes off Paul and Silas and ordered them to be whipped. After a severe beating, they were thrown into jail, and the jailer was ordered to lock them up tight. Upon receiving this order, the jailer threw them into the inner cell and fastened their feet between heavy blocks of wood.

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a violent earthquake, which shook the prison to its foundations. At once all the doors opened, and the chains fell off all the prisoners. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he thought that the prisoners had escaped; so he pulled out his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul shouted at the top of his voice, “Don't harm yourself We are all here!”

The jailer called for a light, rushed in, and fell trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas. Then he led them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

They answered, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your family.” Then they preached the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in the house. At that very hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; and he and all his family were baptized at once. Then he took Paul and Silas up into his house and gave them some food to eat. He and his family were filled with joy, because they now believed in God.

Food for thought!

There is so much food for thought in today's Frist Reading. Let us look at some of it.

Have you ever thought that there could be joy and blessing in prison or in suffering or in hard times? Most of us have never served time in jail nor have we been locked up in prison. However, spiritually speaking, we have all been through what we might call «prison experiences» in life. Times when the Lord shut us up, in affliction, for His own purposes. Times when we wondered where He was and why He was doing this to us. You've been there, haven't you? May be some of you are there today! Wondering how you got here and when will it end. Wondering why, if God really loves you, these kinds of things are happening in your life.

In today's gospel reading, Jesus tells the disciples:

«Now I am going to the One who sent me. But none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' 6 Because I have said these things, you are filled with sadness. 7 "But what I'm about to tell you is true. It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Friend will not come to help you. But if I go, I will send him to you.» (John 16:5-11)

Jesus is telling them, «IT IS GOOD THAT I GO.» How can going away from your dear ones ever be a good thing? How can being locked in grief ever be a good thing? But it is so, says Jesus: «Unless I go away, the Friend will not come to help you. But if I go, I will send him to you.» He is talking of the Holy Spirit. Yes, sometimes sadness is good, is a blessing.

In the first reading, Paul and Silas were obediently serving the Lord when all of a sudden they found themselves in trouble: The crowd joined the attack against Paul and Silas. The judges ordered that Paul and Silas be stripped and beaten. They were whipped without mercy. Then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. When he received his orders, he put Paul and Silas deep inside the prison. He fastened their feet so they couldn't get away. If you haven't been there yet, you will be some day! The first question is «Why?» The answer is «Why not?» Didn't Jesus warn us yesterday: they will throw you into jail? 

Paul once said, «in all things God works for the good of those who love him» (Rom. 8:28). I think this is what made Paul and Silas sing of praise inside the jail: «About midnight Paul and Silas were praying. They were also singing hymns to God.» As someone (Cherie Hill) once said: There’s only one way to enter God's gates — it’s through praise.  The Psalm 100:4 says, "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name."

You want God’s attention? Start praising Him in the valley . . . where all hope seems gone. Your murmurs of praise are more valuable than the wails of your wavering faith. Through your shouts of praise, His gates are thrown open.  The way “out,” is through your shouts . . . of praise. In the face of impossibilities, laying claim to God’s promises and praising Him for His faithfulness moves His heart AND hand. When there are no signs of victory and your faith is failing, it’s your shouts of praise through the pain that will bring Light to your darkness.

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a violent earthquake, which shook the prison to its foundations. At once all the doors opened, and the chains fell off all the prisoners.