Begin with 2 minutes of stillness and silence before God.

When I was growing up, I served many sentences in the form of “in-school suspension” or ISS. Hard to believe, I know, considering I’ve always been angelic, a joy to be around, and was never, ever fighting or being rowdy. I am sure you can relate to being wrongfully accused dozens if not hundreds of times for crimes you just don’t recall committing. Now that I have children, it would appear that they too require discipline in the form of a lengthy timeout. Unlike me, however, they are always guilty. Obviously, a trait they inherited from their mother’s side.

While serving time in the school penitentiary, I don’t ever recall singing praises to God with my classmates or exhibiting an overall joyful spirit of any kind. I have received my fair share of paddlings that may or may not have elicited some singing, but it was never joyful in nature. I have also noticed that my children don’t particularly enjoy their timeouts nor do they serve their time with jovial songs and praise.

In verses 16-40, we see Paul and Silas cast out a demon in a slave girl. She was bringing her masters profit through fortune-telling. They quickly dipped in the red on their profit margins causing them to seek the arrest of Paul and Silas. While in prison, they prayed and sang praises for all to hear. It is also noted that this was taking place at midnight. Now, I am sure there’s not much to do in prison, but regardless of circumstance, I prefer to be asleep at midnight. Whether annoyed or not, I am sure the other prisoners were curious as to why these two gentlemen were in such joyful spirits. An earthquake comes and unlocks all the prisoners and has the prison guard ready to end it all for fear of punishment for letting his prisoners escape. Much to his surprise, they all stay and Paul and Silas end up sharing the Gospel, which in turn, leads to his whole family coming to know Christ. How many times do we find ourselves in negative situations and only further the negativity by inputting more of our own negativity? If we focus on two things here, we can be unstoppable as a body of believers.

First, when we hone in on the hope we have in Jesus, any negative situation instantly becomes less negative. It doesn’t negate the circumstance, but it does transform our outlook. Secondly, if we lift our eyes to Jesus, we don’t miss opportunities to share and exemplify the Gospel to those around us by focusing on ourselves. I heard a preacher say, “Sometimes He will deliver you from the fiery furnace, and sometimes He will make you fireproof and let the fire burn”. Pain and suffering make you relatable to those around you with similar pain and suffering. It’s in these moments are pain and suffering become weaponized for God’s glory.

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• Read Colossians 1:24 and Romans 8:28.
• Live in the moment and practice being transparent. I have found the greatest success in Gospel-centered conversations by letting my walls down. No one meets a genuine person and is sorry they did.
  
• Think of the things God has worked for good in your life. Harbor those experiences in your heart and mind so that you can share them with a friend in times of need.
• Prayer: Help me to focus on Your goodness and the sacrifice You’ve made for us so that I may never drown in the sorrows of this world. Let us never lose sight of the goal You’ve placed before us and give us the strength and courage to use our trials for Your glory. We love You.