Not a Typical Worship Setting

“And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God. . .” (Acts 16:25)

What would spur a prayer meeting and song service at midnight? People saved, false accusations, beatings, and imprisonment! Would a combination of such events stir your heart to worship and pray?

Luke, the physician, meticulously recorded events in the book of Acts that led to Paul and Silas’ arrest while obediently spreading the Gospel in Macedonia. The Romans charged them with illegally teaching, introducing new gods, and unacceptable worship practices. The men were severely beaten, thrown into the inner, most secure dungeon, and their feet fastened in stocks. The jailor’s duty was to guard them.

As Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God at midnight, an earthquake shook the prison. Cell doors flew open, and the chains fell off all the prisoners. Thinking the prisoners had escaped, the jailor drew his sword to kill himself (he would have faced a horrible death for letting them escape under his watch). But Paul called out for him that no one ran. The jailor fell before the two men and asked, “What must I do to be saved?” He and his household met Jesus that night.

How could these men wrongfully imprisoned, their feet bound in stocks, suffering unbearable pain from the beatings, worship God? They were grateful for what God accomplished. They felt blessed because God counted them worthy to carry out His work and had graciously carried them through the ordeal. You or I will not likely experience a situation like that of Paul and Silas. But when life seems unfair, bleak, and dark, trust God as they did. Pray and praise Him despite your circumstances—He is always at work in your life, and He is worthy of all praise. Wherever you are, when you call on His name, you have made an altar. In those moments, pray, be grateful for His goodness, sing praises—worship God. If miracles can take place in a dark and nasty dungeon, they can happen in your life too.