Acts 16:24-26 (New International Version)
24Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose.
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Psalm 42 vs. 8 by AngelsasHeartWork
A true heart of worship is seen in this passage. I am not sure that I would have had the guts, or the strength, to worship in this situation. Paul and Silas were in jail, and they were innocent. They had just been beaten badly, and must have been in much pain. Not only were their bodies probably hurting, but their hearts and souls as well. I can't imagine being thrown in jail having done nothing wrong, and then being beaten half to death. I would probably be discouraged, upset, maybe even mad at God. But Paul and Silas, they decided to worship Him even in the midst of this awful situation. Notice I said they decided! Worship is a choice, attitude is a choice. They set their minds on Jesus and sang songs of praise to their Lord and Savior. They did not expect that their worship would set them free, they did it out of love to their God. And then they were set free. Once we decide to worship, in the midst of any nasty situation we are in, then we are free. Even if God does not free us immediately from our situation, we are set free in the Spirit. Our attitude of worship will change our outlook on the situation and we will listen to God's voice and directions. It is hard, yes, but it is what pleases our Lord and it can make a vast difference in our situations. Worship Him because He is HIM. I don't worship Him just to get His attention so He can get me out of my bad situation. I worship Him because I love Him! I love Him because He is my Lord and my All, not because of what He can do for me. And I'm blessed for it.
by Anastasia Watson of mattscraftywife.
Comments (8)
"I don't worship Him just to get His attention so He can get me out of my bad situation. I worship Him because I love Him!" What a great thought to focus on today! We so get this backwards sometimes--but our foucs should be on Christ not our circumstances. Thanks for this post!
Wonderful post Anastasia! My favorite part is the emphasis on deciding to worship in difficult situations. It is a choice and this is a great reminder of that. Thanks!
Praise You in the mornin', Praise You in the evenin",Praise You when I'm young and when I'm old...
Like the song say's-Praise You every season of my soul!
He is worthy of our worship and praise!
I really enjoyed your post. What a great reminder to praise God all the time, not just when things are going right.
♥ Sarah
Beautiful post! It tied in with what our sermon was about this morning...Why in the world am I here?
We're here for God's pleasure and he wants us to CHOOSE to love Him and worship Him, among other things. He could have made us without free will but then we would have been made without the capacity to love. Love is something that you choose to do, it is not something that can be forced on you!
Love this! Very thought provoking. Trish
Its easy to worship God when things are going well. Its hard when things are bad (to state the obvious!). Anastasia is so right. We need to choose to worship him whatever - he is still good - he has still saved us - he is still so worthy of our praise!
I'm glad you all enjoyed the post. It makes me happy :)
~Anastasia
mattscraftywife