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Pastor Lud Golz
Pastor Lud Golz

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  Home | Transcript Archive | October | October 16, 2019

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

As we concluded our last visit we were looking at Paul and Silas in the Philippian prison (Acts 16).  After promptly responding to God’s call to proclaim the good news in Philippi they were flogged and thrown into prison.  At about midnight they began to pray and sing hymns to God, doing what Paul says we should do in 1st Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 

It’s fairly easy to accept that it’s God’s will to preach the Gospel in a given city.  It’s harder to accept that it was God’s will to be ill-treated after they faithfully responded to God’s call.  If God allows hardship to come your way, no matter how tough it might be to endure, it has to be seen as His will.  He could’ve kept it from happening.  So He must have had a purpose in mind to let it happen. 

That being true, it would be right to give Him thanks in the experience.  If that’s hard to understand or accept, pray about it.  If we pray about everything we encounter we’d pray continually.  Not because we had to, but because it would seem natural to ask God why?  What’s His purpose?  If we still find it hard to thank God, ask God for grace and help to endure and make the most of the experience. 

I’m confident that’s what Paul and Silas did in the prison that dark, dreary night.  And as they did, God reminded them of an appropriate hymn to sing. 

 

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