Acts 16:23-25They threw them (Paul and Silas) into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Paul and Silas had just entered a new field of ministry in Macedonia. They were in the town of Philippi where they made their first convert in Europe, a woman named Lydia. They spent some time there and a slave girl, who had a spirit of divination and made great amounts of money for her owners through fortune telling starts following Paul and Silas around saying, "These men are slaves of the Most High God." She did this for many days until Paul had enough. He said to the spirit, "Come out of her." It did and the girl's owners realizing that she would no longer make them money brought Paul and Silas before the judges. As our scripture shares the judges, after giving them a severe beating, threw them into prison. The jailer, just to be safe, put them in the maximum security section. Think about Paul and Silas. They were trying to do what God wanted. They had entered into Macedonia, at God's command. They shared the gospel and made converts. They even healed a girl, though we are not sure she wanted to be healed. Now they had been beaten, were in prison and did not know what the next day might bring. Possibly they would be executed. And what did they do. They worshiped God and sang songs of praise to God. I don't know about you, but if I had been in their place I don't know that this would have been my response. More likely it would have found me having a supreme pity party and blaming God for the fix I was in. This story reminds me of one from our Methodist history. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, was on the way to America as a missionary in Georgia. His brother Charles was with him. Also on board was a large group of German Moravians. A terrible storm broke out. The English on board were crying and trembling. In the midst of the storm, John hears the Moravians quietly singing hymns to God. Afterward, John asked, "Were you not afraid that you would die?" The Moravian pastor said, "Thankfully, no, we were not afraid. For we know whether we live or die, we are with God." This assurance so challenged John's understanding of faith that some years later, he would see it as one of the pivotal pieces in his life that led him to his own heart-warming experience, which we now see as the beginning of Methodism. Both of these stories make me ask, "How do I respond when life is difficult, challenging, and downright unfair?" The easy response is to become angry, bitter, and perhaps depressed. These stories share a different path. We can, in difficult times, trust in God's presence. We have the knowledge and assurance that God is with us. We may not know the future, but we know that God holds that future. That knowledge should help us to trust in the dark times, and perhaps even sing songs of praise. For Paul and Silas, an earthquake broke their chains. The jailer, in finding they didn't escape, was converted with his household. They were released the next day and went on their missionary journey. For John Wesley, that storm caused him to continue working on deepening his trust and assurance in God's grace. For us, storms are times of testing. Others are watching. Will they see fear and anger, or hear us singing about the goodness of God, even in times such as this? PrayerLoving God, it is comforting to remember that when life is challenging, you are with us. Help us to have such faith in you that we can trust and not fear. Help us to find the assurance we need so that no matter what, we can lift our voices in praise for your love and care. In Jesus name we pray. AMEN This devotional was written and read by Bill Green. Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org. First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.
