“And
when they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison,
charging the jailer to keep them safely.
24 He,
having received [so strict a] charge, put them into the inner prison (the
dungeon) and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25 But
about midnight, as Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to
God, and the [other] prisoners were listening to them,”
Dear people of God, in today’s Scripture text, we see the
Apostles Paul and Silas singing hymns of praise to God in prison after they
were falsely accused, beaten and thrown into prison while on their mission work.
The Lord God responded to their act of faith by a great miracle
by which Paul and Silas were released while the jailer and his household became
saved as Christians by the Spirit of God.
How many Christians today can praise God under such humiliating
condition Paul and Silas found themselves while on their missionary work of
preaching the Gospel of Christ to the gentile nations?
The Lord Jesus Christ had warned Paul about the persecution and
suffering that lay ahead of him as he undertook the mission work of the Gospel
– Acts 9:15-16.
Paul’s mind was already prepared for this and through his Holy
Spirit inspired letter, he warned Christians about persecution for those who
have chosen to follow the narrow way of Truth, Holiness and Righteousness as
God demands – 2 Timothy 3:12.
Paul was simply reiterating the Lord Jesus’ Words about
persecution for those who sincerely follow Him as contained in Matthew 5:10
& Mark 10:29-30.
Dear friend, though the Lord Jesus Christ has warned us about
persecution for those who follow the narrow path of Holiness and Righteousness,
He never stated that He would abandon us even in those situations.
Therefore, we must trust the Lord and take Him at His Word even
as we have firmly committed to follow Him till we depart from this world or
until He comes in Rapture shortly to take away His faithful children.
We must praise the Lord, thank Him for everything and give Him
all the glory always.
Can you praise God in tragedy when you lose a loved one to
death, lose your job, home, family, business, money, in sickness, in poverty,
in persecution, etc?
Take note however, that such tragedies are NOT caused by God but
by the devil and the reason the devil throws such evil missiles at Christians
is to discourage them from serving God.
Jesus Christ my Lord has made it clear that you CANNOT love
anyone or anything more than Him so you must commit every unpleasant situation
into the Lord’s hands and trust Him to console, comfort, strengthen and see you
through it all.
There is no record in the Holy Bible or anywhere else that the
Lord Jesus Christ has ever failed His genuine children who call upon Him for
help in time of need according to His Word.
Again, I must make it clear that it is NOT everyone who
professes Christianity that is a child of God BUT only those who do the will of
the Father, those whose words and actions in all facets of their lives are
consistent with God’s commands in the Holy Bible.
Jesus Christ can never fail such individual. It simply cannot
happen.
As for the individual who professes Christ but tells lies,
cheats, fornicates, slanders others, refuses to forgive the offences of others,
quarrels, fights, hates, steals, etc. such person is in urgent need of
repentance, confession of sin and a return to Jesus Christ before it is too
late.
Learn to reflect on God’s goodness over your life and then
praise and thank Him for every good and every perfect gift He has given you.
May the good Lord bless you as you heed
His Word today, act on it and share with others in Jesus’ Most Holy Name, Amen.
Gabriel Ama.