Each morning I wake up with one thing in mind.. "Word before World". It's a small catchy phrase that keeps me focused on the main thing, my relationship with my Lord and Savior. I find that this simple phrase has a way of shifting my focus from the list of to-dos to a simple plan each morning... spend time with God! I grab "My Morning Moments" journal and write down a new scripture to meditate on each day! I use a monthly scripture writing plan to make sure I write out scripture topically instead of just all over with no rhyme or reason.
This morning, my scripture to write was Acts 16:25- "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them." There is so much backstory here but I really want to focus on one area of this verse. I love to read the verse before and after so I can gain clarity and context from the scripture. These two ambassadors for Christ had just been unjustly thrown into prison and here they are singing praises at midnight and praying... other prisoners hear them. There is then a great earthquake and the foundation of the prison is shaken to the point to prison doors swing open wide. Most prisoners would run, but not these two. They were on an assignment from the Lord and the keeper of the prison would come to know Christ as his personal Savior because in a moment where they could have ran, they chose to stay on their assignment, thus the keeper asks them "what must I do to be saved?"
I want to draw attention in today's blog post to a small part of Acts 16:25.... where it says "the prisoners heard them". Many people are held captive today by things of this world... fear, worry, and anxiety. Others held captive by limiting beliefs, lack of faith, or personal flaws. Yet others are held captive by material things... their boats, cars, homes, careers or the next big purchase they haven't made yet. There is no judgement here because at one point in my life, I was held captive by many of those things also. No matter what way they are held captive, they are held as prisoners to the things of this world. No part of this verse tells us what the other prisoners were imprisoned for, but it is safe to say it was probably not sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's probably not preaching on the streets or singing the praises of the One true God that had them in those prison cells. One thing is for sure though, something held them there.
I am so intrigued that of everything that could be in the Word of God about Paul and Silas in this jail cell, the thing that IS written is that they were praising and praying so loud that the other prisoners heard them. To me the message is VERY clear... NO MATTER WHAT praise and pray through. During their time in these prison walls they could have cried and bemoaned about how pitiful it was that they couldn't even share the gospel without someone's feelings getting hurt. They could have complained about how they were persecuted for a crime that wasn't even a crime. There are many prospective positions we could find them in other than the one they were in, BUT even in a moment when things looked bleak, they chose praise and prayer.
I want to ask you a thought provoking question as you prepare for your Thursday- When people see you, when people hear you, when people look at you... do they see Jesus? If something is so BIG on the inside of you, shouldn't it show up on the outside? Alert your face sister... God is good! He does good! He uses EVERYTHING for YOUR good! He gets the glory for any good that is in us!
We are commanded to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. That doesn't always look like the Roman's Road or taking a Bible and showing someone how they can be saved. Many times it looks like singing His praises in the middle of your storm. Praising Him in the middle of the grocery store. Instead of being annoyed with how long it is taking for the person in front of you to get their groceries checked out (because its 2024 and we do that ourselves these days) what if you turned that waiting line into a worship line? What if you hummed a merry tune about Jesus. You never know, they just may hum it back with you! OR even better, it may put a smile on their face. When people look at you do they say, "I want what she's got" or do they think to themselves, "Bless, she is one miserable person". I pray today sister it is said of you that you have a merry heart on the inside and it overflows to the outside of you.
Let's talk really quick about the other thing they were doing... PRAYING! They were NOT calling home to complain about their problems. That's not the case at all. Actually one of Paul's most encouraging leaders is in the book of Philippians. He wrote this letter while he was sitting in a jail cell. You won't find him writing a "woe is me" letter or a "please feel sorry for me" note. Nope! You find him in the middle of his circumstances praising and praying. What if we spent more time praying instead of asking others for their opinions?
I am so guilty of this myself friends. I want the tangible and physical response to my need... not the waiting method that sometimes occurs with prayer. I want my answers immediately so I go to man rather than God with my problems many times. The kids are under my skin... call my husband and ask him when he is coming home instead of praying for the Lord to give me the strength I need to get through. An unexpected bill shows up in the mail... panic ensues, then I grab a calculator to add up how I can possibly make it work, and then check the banking account to see where I can creatively move money around to "fix" it! Y'all... my Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He feeds the sparrows every morning. He kisses the ground with the perfect amount of dew. All while this dumb little sheep of His (referring to myself) is over here trying to figure out on her own how to "fix it". {Insert very dramatic eye roll}. INSTEAD of praying to the One who is in control of it all. I mean, I don't know about you, but I didn't hang the moon or stars last night.
We've got to learn to pray and praise Him through even the most difficult things in life. None of us are being imprisoned for our stance with Christ in this wonderful free country we live in (YES, I still believe I live in the best country in the world). None of us are hiding Bibles in our homes in fear that the government will come and take them from us. Yet, we live as if we do. We can openly carry the Word of God wherever we go! We can praise our King no matter where we are because our forefathers fought for Freedom of Speech. We have the privilege of listening to music on our phones, in our cars, and many other places. Even Alexa knows my favorite praise and worship music. Just the other day I was stressed out in Walmart (I'm pretty sure my blood pressure shoots up just walking in) and I just turned on my Jesus music to enjoy and for others to enjoy. I mean... if junior can bop to the latest R&B song in the parking lot, why can't I praise the King? I CAN!
Praising and praying have a way of sharing the gospel with others without even saying a word. We are commanded to spread the good news today! We are to be ambassadors for Christ. We are to shine His light no matter where we go or what we are going through. We are to be missionaries in our little towns and on our Facebook walls. We are NOT to complain about all the issues of life... remain silent until healed friends. We all have problems in life, but when we intentionally focus on the good, we will find more of it!
Today I challenge you to spread the gospel in one of these simple ways:
-Tell someone "Jesus loves you"
-Give a tract out
-Pray with someone
-Encourage someone with your smile
-Sing His praises
-Play a worship song so others can hear
-Share the gospel with a family member
Let them see Jesus in you today friend... so much so that "the prisoners hear it"!!!
With Love in Christ, Kimberly Perkins