Acts 16
February 25, 2022
“After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison... About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God...” (v 23,25)
What a juxtaposition: Paul and Silas are beaten and yet praise God; they are imprisoned and yet pray. Their joy is clearly not dependent on circumstances. Even behind bars, they know God is worthy of praise and able to fulfill His purposes - which He does through their joy-marked witness to the jailer, whose entire family comes to saving faith in Jesus (v31-34)!
Lord, I praise You this morning - not only for saving me and for Your many blessings, but I also praise You in the midst of challenging circumstances that I wouldn’t have chosen for myself. Empower me to choose joy, worship, prayer and trust today. And like it did for Paul and Silas, may my joy in You be such a potent witness - that it opens up a door to share with others the good news of the gospel!
— Pastor Joshua Brooks
Use the following steps to guide your daily time with the Lord…
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Start with prayer. Ask God to open your heart to help you understand and receive His Word.
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Read and observe the passage carefully. As needed, read a second Bible version to help with understanding.
➡️ What does it say?
What does this passage teach me about God? What does it say about my sinful nature and my need for God’s grace? How does this passage point to Jesus?
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➡️ What am I going to do about it?
Does this passage include a promise to claim, an action/attitude to avoid/embrace, or a principle to apply? How can this truth apply to my life? What could my next step be? How can I share this with others? Is there a verse or section of Scripture I need to memorize?
