Read: Acts 16:16-34
Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God. (v. 25)
One brave man I know lives in Bhutan. Sharing the gospel is forbidden. One Sunday I met a group of Christians in his house. I was surprised to hear them sing joyful praise that could be heard in the neighborhood. He shared that everyone around knew they were Christians and added, “If they arrest me, even those in prison need the gospel.”
It made me think of Paul and Silas in the Philippian jail. They were falsely accused, stripped, beaten with rods, and placed in the innermost cell with their feet in stocks. What do they do? They pray and sing hymns. Others listen. The ancient church writer Tertullian observed, “The legs feel nothing in the stocks when the heart is in heaven.” Paul and Silas had confidence in God’s call to be in Philippi because they saw a vision of a man from Macedonia asking them to come (Acts 16:9). They did not know unjust imprisonment awaited them, only that God called them to preach. Prison could not derail the mission.
Jesus promised his disciples, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). In whatever challenge we may find ourselves, let us not lose heart. Paul later wrote, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Cor. 4:8-9). May it be so of us. Others may be listening.
As you pray, ask God for courage in hard situations.
About the Author
Rev. Jon Opgenorth serves as president of Words of Hope. Previously, he served for 18 years as senior pastor at Trinity Reformed Church in Orange City, Iowa. In preparation for ministry, he received a BA in Religion from Northwestern College, and an MDiv from Fuller Theological Seminary.
