Faith, Not Shaken by Circumstances
Scripture Passage: Acts 16:16-32 (NASB)
16 It happened that as we were going to the place of prayer, a slave woman who had a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing great profit to her masters by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and us and cried out repeatedly, saying, “These men are bond-servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you a way of salvation.” 18 Now she continued doing this for many days. But Paul was greatly annoyed, and he turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out at that very moment.
19 But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was suddenly gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities, 20 and when they had brought them to the chief magistrates, they said, “These men, Jews as they are, are causing our city trouble, 21 and they are proclaiming customs that are not lawful for us to accept or to practice, since we are Romans.”
22 The crowd joined in an attack against them, and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them and proceeded to order them to be beaten with rods. 23 When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; 24 and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25 Now about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; 26 and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains were unfastened. 27 When the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul called out with a loud voice, saying, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!” 29 And the jailer asked for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas; 30 and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of God to him together with all who were in his house.
SUMMARY
Paul and Silas traveled around spreading the gospel. They came across a slave woman who was making money for her masters in fortune-telling. Paul drove out the evil spirit that was in that woman, and at this, her masters accused them of causing trouble and introducing unlawful customs to the Romans. So they were struck with rods and thrown into prison. Paul and Silas continued to pray and sing praise to the Lord, and suddenly an earthquake freed them of their shackles and opened the gates of prison. When the jailer saw this, he was fearful and asked them what he should do to be saved. They spoke the word of God to him and his household.
MEDITATION AND REFLECTION
After being mistreated for driving away an evil spirit, Paul and Silas continued to praise the Lord in their suffering. Even when they were freed, they stayed to minister to the jailer. It amazes me seeing how many times Paul is beaten for the gospel, yet he isn't shaken by his circumstances. He still has a heart that praises the Lord and a heart to save others. There were many times when I felt overwhelmed and didn't want to praise God. This past weekend, I felt overwhelmed and unprepared for the tasks of serving and leading that God has given to me. Instead of singing to the Lord, I wept in frustration. I felt like I was just giving and not receiving. But following Christ is not easy sometimes and I need to remember to spend time with Him and find my joy and peace with Him. Even through trials and seasons of difficulty, God is my joy and my strength.
APPLICATION
In my weakness, I should be seeking the Lord more, but I choose to care for myself by being selfish and distracting myself. In my weakness, I lack the strength to push through and humble myself before the Lord. I will spend time today to meditate on the Word, pray, and sing praise to God with a genuine heart of surrender.
PRAYER
Dear Heavenly Father,
In times when I don't think I can reach you, I pray that you will draw near to me. I pray that the Holy Spirit will burn a fire within me and stir up a passion for you that isn't reliant on circumstances. I surrender this feeling of frustration and grumbling to you. Lord, give me a heart to love and praise you even when I feel lacking. Help me lead and love on others even when I don't feel qualified. Continue to mold me in my faith so that my walk with you is unshaken through any storm. Thank you for being a Father who is unwavering and faithful. I pray this in Jesus' name, Amen.
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