Paul's Midnight Praise Service_15 series The Life of the Apostle Paul Acts 16:25-40 In this portion of Acts, we find Paul was in one of the darkest times of his life. Yet, he kept his light burning for Christ, letting it shine before men.Paul and Silas had been preaching the Gospel and a crowd rose up against them. God's men were stripped, beaten with many stripes, and cast into prison in the maximum-security cells.This was their second missionary journey in the city of Philippi.And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. Paul was facing "midnight" circumstances at the midnight hour. This was a dark hour for him, having been falsely accused, the truth ignored, untried, beaten, in pain, and imprisoned. At his darkest hour, he prayed and praised God which are antidotes for trials. God allowed this dark trial in Paul and Silas' life to give them an opportunity to praise Him and be a witness to those in the prison. Paul focused on God and praised the Lord in the face of injustice, injuries, and illegal, inexcusable incarceration. God wants us to learn this, too. He wants us to learn to have joy no matter what circumstance we may face. The Spirit of God will convict every man who ever mistreats a believer. No man will ever escape His convicting power.
God wanted the church at Philippi left alone so it could grow and become one of the great ministering churches in the first century.
The disciples were released and delivered by the hand of God.
God is able to deliver the believer through all trials, and He will deliver and work all things out for good until He is ready to take the believer on home to heaven. |
