Listening To Them (Acts 16:25)

 


Wednesday, August 13, 2025


Psalms 101; 102:1-22

2 Samuel 18:19-19:8a

Acts 16:25-40


Observance: Jeremy Taylor, bishop and spiritual writer (d. 1667)


Listening To Them (Acts 16:25)


About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.


Being in a difficult place in life is tough. I’m sure we would all like to have the courage of Paul and Silas, who had been publicly beaten and shamed and thrown into prison, and spent the night praying and singing hymns. It makes me wonder, what gave them this ability to cut through the noise of their trials and be up at midnight praying and singing?


They must have had some depth to their relationship with God, for starters. It was to him that they were praying and singing. In their dark moment, both literally and emotionally, they turned to God and spent time with him in the way they knew best: praying and singing.


There was also a side-effect of this. The prisoners were listening to them. And I wonder if Paul and Silas had this in mind as well? That there was an opportunity for them to witness publicly by sharing their courage for God’s sake, and so they took it, by praying and singing out loud?


I suppose the two feed into each other. One is that they had a deep relationship with the Lord, and in their troubles they turned to him. The other is that they wanted others to know about this relationship, and so celebrated it publicly, for the benefit of others.


How quickly do you turn to the Lord when you are in trouble? How can your personal troubles become encouragement for those around you?


Christ our Lord, you are with us always, bidding us grow in our love for you: teach us how to turn the adversities of this life into opportunities to grow that love, both in ourselves, and in those around us.

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