Instead of using a personal experience, I want to write this chapter using a story directly from the Bible. In the sixteenth chapter of the book of Acts, we find two men imprisoned for their faith, yet praising God in the middle of the night. During their praises, the plot thickens:
Acts 16:25-26 (ESV), “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened.”
Imagine the variety of looks on the prisoner’s faces during the night. First, the jailers lock Paul and Silas away in prison. I think it’s safe to assume these …show more content…
But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas.”
Given the situation, the prisoners received every opportunity to run. If you’re asking me, I’d be tempted to say it must be God’s Will to run, if every door suddenly pried open and shackle snapped free. But, the jailer would be murdered for such a thing. So, the men stay and their praise surmounts into this beautiful testimony:
Acts 16:30-34 (ESV), “Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in …show more content…
How could a God this beautiful be unworthy, or less worthy than ourselves?
God loves our praise of Him to the extent of opening every closed door and snapping every binding chain, which separate us from Him. Like Paul and Silas, there’s no need to run from this. When the earth shakes and the ground splits, our reaction needs to result in praising God because of His majesty, not just His help.
If God is a beautiful God, then we must be beautiful works of God. Our worth becomes determined by how worthy we view God. Our significance becomes resolved by how we signify the cross. Our value becomes decided by how we value Jesus. Like a broken record player, I’ll say it over and over again: if God views us as beautiful works of art, we shouldn’t hesitate to see Him as our beautiful
Acts 16:25-26 (ESV), “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened.”
Imagine the variety of looks on the prisoner’s faces during the night. First, the jailers lock Paul and Silas away in prison. I think it’s safe to assume these …show more content…
But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas.”
Given the situation, the prisoners received every opportunity to run. If you’re asking me, I’d be tempted to say it must be God’s Will to run, if every door suddenly pried open and shackle snapped free. But, the jailer would be murdered for such a thing. So, the men stay and their praise surmounts into this beautiful testimony:
Acts 16:30-34 (ESV), “Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in …show more content…
How could a God this beautiful be unworthy, or less worthy than ourselves?
God loves our praise of Him to the extent of opening every closed door and snapping every binding chain, which separate us from Him. Like Paul and Silas, there’s no need to run from this. When the earth shakes and the ground splits, our reaction needs to result in praising God because of His majesty, not just His help.
If God is a beautiful God, then we must be beautiful works of God. Our worth becomes determined by how worthy we view God. Our significance becomes resolved by how we signify the cross. Our value becomes decided by how we value Jesus. Like a broken record player, I’ll say it over and over again: if God views us as beautiful works of art, we shouldn’t hesitate to see Him as our beautiful