The Power of Worship
Acts 16:16-26 NIV
16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” 18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.
19 When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. 20 They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21 by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”
22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 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.
Life can certainly be tough! We all face battles, we all go through tough seasons, and we all encounter situations we wish we didn't have to face. If we were completely honest, there are things you are dealing with that, if you had it your way, you would change. Maybe your marriage isn’t in the best place to, maybe your finances aren’t the best they have ever been, maybe it’s work challenges, health challenges, or something else. Whatever it is, we all walk through difficulties in life. A common misconception is that if we are Christians, we are never going to encounter pain, struggle, hard times, or battles. But that simply isn’t true! The presence of God doesn’t equate to the absence of problems.
Paul and Silas were about God’s business, on a missionary, church-planting trip. Building the global church, on their way to a prayer meeting, they just healed a young lady and set her free from demon possession when they were beaten and then imprisoned. Not just imprisoned, but put on death row, bound with chains, and placed in stocks! They were treated like maximum security prisoners. They could have easily been mad at God, they could have easily been angry and questioned God, but they stayed calm and remembered who was in charge of their lives. At midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God. Midnight is the darkest hour of the night, and at the darkest hour, they began to sing. Some of you are in your darkest hour. Bound up, broken, hurting, or depressed, but it's time to praise our way through it!
Worship unlocks doors no man can open. Worship can set you free! Freedom can be found in His presence, and it happens as you praise in the middle of bondage. You don’t have to wait until you are free to praise God. You don’t have to wait until you have no chains, until you are out of the prison; you can praise God right where you are, and He will send His power to set you free! Worship shifts your focus from the problem to the solution.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your presence in our lives. Help us to remember that Your presence brings peace even in the midst of our struggles. Strengthen our faith as we worship You, and let our worship be a testimony to others. Help us to praise You in every circumstance, knowing that You are with us always. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” 18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.
19 When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. 20 They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21 by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”
22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 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.
Life can certainly be tough! We all face battles, we all go through tough seasons, and we all encounter situations we wish we didn't have to face. If we were completely honest, there are things you are dealing with that, if you had it your way, you would change. Maybe your marriage isn’t in the best place to, maybe your finances aren’t the best they have ever been, maybe it’s work challenges, health challenges, or something else. Whatever it is, we all walk through difficulties in life. A common misconception is that if we are Christians, we are never going to encounter pain, struggle, hard times, or battles. But that simply isn’t true! The presence of God doesn’t equate to the absence of problems.
Paul and Silas were about God’s business, on a missionary, church-planting trip. Building the global church, on their way to a prayer meeting, they just healed a young lady and set her free from demon possession when they were beaten and then imprisoned. Not just imprisoned, but put on death row, bound with chains, and placed in stocks! They were treated like maximum security prisoners. They could have easily been mad at God, they could have easily been angry and questioned God, but they stayed calm and remembered who was in charge of their lives. At midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God. Midnight is the darkest hour of the night, and at the darkest hour, they began to sing. Some of you are in your darkest hour. Bound up, broken, hurting, or depressed, but it's time to praise our way through it!
Worship unlocks doors no man can open. Worship can set you free! Freedom can be found in His presence, and it happens as you praise in the middle of bondage. You don’t have to wait until you are free to praise God. You don’t have to wait until you have no chains, until you are out of the prison; you can praise God right where you are, and He will send His power to set you free! Worship shifts your focus from the problem to the solution.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your presence in our lives. Help us to remember that Your presence brings peace even in the midst of our struggles. Strengthen our faith as we worship You, and let our worship be a testimony to others. Help us to praise You in every circumstance, knowing that You are with us always. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
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