From Prison to Praise

Paul and Silas had been thrown into prison after casting out the demons in a woman known to be a fortune-teller. The men she was working for were angry, because now they couldn’t make money from her. They immediately had Paul and Silas thrown into prison after being stripped and beaten in front of the town.

Imagine doing what God asked you to do, and then being beaten, humiliated, and thrown into jail. They had probably planned to preach to the town, but they find themselves beaten and bleeding in jail at night, their plans put on hold. The same people they had planned to win to Christ had just thrown them into prison after publicly ridiculing them. It would have been so easy to give up and have a self-righteous attitude. They could have prayed, “God, we were doing your will, just like you asked, and now you let this happen?”

How often do we find ourselves in the same situation, feeling like we’ve done God’s will and it somehow didn’t end up like we expected? Maybe you went to a part-time position to dedicate yourself more to the ministry and find yourself struggling financially. Maybe you are a pastor who preached what God told you to preach, but you’re getting verbally crucified by congregation members. Maybe you’ve simply been faithful in your walk with God, but can’t understand why you are going through so many trials.

Paul and Silas were in a similar situation. They didn’t even know if they had hope in their situation. In prison after being beaten, their death sentences could have been the next day. Instead of fretting and complaining, though, we find Paul looking over at Silas and maybe saying, “Silas, how did that song go that we sang in the temple the other day?”

And in prison in their darkest hour, they started singing and praising God.

All of a sudden they heard a rumble, and the ground began to quiver. Then it began to shake violently, and all the doors in the prison were opened! You’ve probably read the story, that Paul and Silas were then able to lead the prison guard to Christ, and they were freed. Why did this happen? Because they praised God even in their trial! When we can praise God in our darkest trials even when we don’t understand why, that is when God will come on the scene and open the doors to our prison! Prison doors can't contain our praises to God!

Be encouraged that God not only knows where you are, but that He knew you would be there before you did. He has not forgotten you, and He has a greater plan than you could imagine. Trust Him that He is working His plan out, and never cease to praise Him!

Points to ponder:

• If Paul and Silas had not gone to prison, would they have still been able to lead the prison guard to Christ? Sometimes we have to go places we don’t like, not because of something we’ve done, but perhaps because our being there is the only way someone can be reached for Christ.
• When Paul and Silas praised and their prison doors opened, the other prison doors were opened as well. When we praise God despite our trials and are set free, we are not the only ones affected. How many other people can be blessed and set free by our victory and testimony?
• Toward the end of the chapter where this story is found, the Bible says these are the men who turned the world upside down. Battles must be won in the prison before the world can be turned upside down.