Skip to main content

A Witness Through Worship

"About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them." Acts 16:25

On my recent trip to France, I was reading the biography of George Mueller. He was a terrible liar, cheat, drunk … sinner. One day a friend invited him to a prayer meeting, where believers worshipped in simplicity, one brother kneeling in prayer and crying out to the Lord and a published sermon was read. But Mueller was transformed. There was no reason for him to even consider going to this meeting, but God. Reminds me of our text here. Notice that Paul and Silas were doing what came naturally to them in all circumstances: they were praying and worshipping. And the other prisoners were listening.

When the earthquake came, and the earthquakes of life will come, not only were their fellow prisoners impacted, but the jailer fell at their feet and asked what he must do to be saved. Amazing. Giving thanks in worship in all circumstances gives a witness of our Father to others and He uses it to draw people to Himself.

When was the last time you were in a tough spot and rather than complaining, you worshipped the Lord and cried out to Him? Others are watching and the way we respond in those moments may change the eternity of those looking on. Let’s worship rather than whine, raise our voices in praise rather than resentment, and pray rather than pout. And the Lord will bring Himself glory through it.

Prayer Focus: Lord, thank You for the earthquakes of life. They give us the opportunity to worship You in such a way that others see You at work in us.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Generosity Draws

“And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need. Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.” Acts 4:33-37 I had the opportunity recently to offer something of value to some friends. It was passes to a golf tournament. I only had two, so I started checking with them one at a time. The first several were not able to take advantage of them, but something struck me. In declining, each of them expressed appreciation. Generosity had touched them. Joseph from Cyprus was a generous person. It was shown in two ways. He was generous with his possessions. He sold some property he owned to provide for needy people. And he was so gen...

Storyteller

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.” Acts 1:8-9 These are the last words Jesus speaks to his Apostles just before ascending into heaven. Not what they were expecting. They were wondering when Jesus was going to set up His Kingdom on earth. As He was ascending into heaven He reveals we are the ones to accomplish the task. Jesus’ departure is not desertion; it is a commission to be the storytellers of truth to the rest of the world. Frequently, we look at this scripture in relationship to our life. We perceive Jerusalem as our own community, Judea as our city, Samaria as our country and the ends of the earth as the world. Christ informed the apostles they will have the power of the Holy Spirit to reach these people. Notice the word “and...” Jesus didn’t say...

The Way We Pray

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 What brings answered prayer in a Christian’s life? Do you ever feel that you pray and God is silent or that you grow weary in your prayer life because it seems that God isn’t answering your heart’s desires? Could it be that many times it is because of the way we are praying? This passage of Scripture goes on to say, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Taking God’s yoke on ourselves is a picture of an animal having a harness around its neck and can’t move to the right or left but only where the farmer is leading. It may seem restrictive to see God in that same way, but He wants us to follow Him looking straight ahead and keeping our eyes focused on Him and His purposes. It keeps us from getting sidetracked in our Christian walk. Then, our praying becomes asking Him for things He is desiring for us and those aro...