Christian Living

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Acts 16:25-26 “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.”

There is power when God’s people worship Him regardless of circumstances or situations. True worship involves us fixing our eyes on Jesus and His kingdom all the time, even if what we are facing does not reflect the establishment of Gods kingdom on earth. Even though so many today treat worship as a spiritual discipline that is exercised when everything appears to be going the way we want it to be, God has called those who follow Him to live a lifestyle of worship which is not reliant on feelings or circumstances, but fully dependent upon the truth that Gods nature is supremely good and He is a God who rewards those who diligently seek Him! Being a Christian is about walking by faith and not by sight. As we boldly proclaim the gospel, the enemy will seek to discourage us with trials of many kinds and if our walk with God is based upon the circumstances and situations we face, as opposed to being based upon the word of God, the enemy will succeed in distracting us from what really matters! If God is for us, who can be against us and those who seek the Lord lack nothing. Therefore, let us walk with the knowledge that no matter where we may be, even if that is in a jail, the joy of the Lord can be our strength if we allow Him to re-adjust our priorities so that worshipping Him is everything and not just something we do on a Sunday morning in church!

How do you respond to trials? Do you allow the negativity of the world or the hardship of situations to shape your prayer life? I want to encourage you that those who constantly live a lifestyle of worship and praise are those who will see the miraculous break forth in the most unlikely of places and in the most unexpected ways.

Paul and Silas demonstrated this. The fact that these two men of God, passionate to proclaim the good news about Jesus, were in a prison, did not stop them worshipping God, and because of this, they created an atmosphere where nothing was impossible; for when we worship and fix our eyes on Jesus, we allow God to work in ways that are naturally impossible. Whatever jail or prison you may feel that you are in, whether spiritual, emotional, relational or even physical, God is able to set you free!

Our freedom never comes from an attempt to free ourselves; rather, it comes as we take our eyes off of the problem and on to God! Paul and Silas were not even specifically praying to be released from prison. Their hearts were so focussed on God that the reality of a jail around them became less real and the presence of God became more real.

The act of worship alone has the power to set free, and not only does it set the individual free, but it will also create a channel for God to move in the lives of those around us. From this passage, it can be seen that “all the prison doors flew open.” The truth is, when our lives are fully committed to God and as we live a life of worship to Him, those around us will be encountering the God we worship and the God we worship is alive and He longs to bring freedom to every captive and prisoner, so they too might know Him!

If we are to walk our journey with the Lord with an emphasis on the problems in our lives, we miss the beauty of seeing His kingdom come in power. The God we serve has not changed and if we would make a decision every day to praise and worship Him, not focussing on the discouragement that the devil imposes on us, we will see the miracles that the early church saw and we will see foundations of every prison that is keeping us in bondage come down as a by-product of our worship. Never underestimate the power of worship. God bless you.

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