Our Daily Bread 25 May 2019 – Shackled but Not Silent
Topic: Shackled but Not Silent
Bible in a Year: 1 Chronicles 25–27; John 9:1–23
Scripture: About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. – Acts 16:25
Today’s Scripture: Acts 16:25–34 (NIV)
Insight
We’re not always given all the details of stories in the Bible, but we can be assured the authors of Scripture were inspired to record what was necessary to convey the meaning and message God intended. Acts 16:31–32 is a good example of this. Verse 31 is clearly a condensed version of the gospel: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” The whole of the gospel is captured in this statement, but verse 32 indicates the jailer and his family still needed further instruction about what it means to follow Christ: “Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house.” We’re not told the details of what Paul and Silas included in “the word of the Lord.”
Our Daily Bread 25 May 2019 – Shackled but Not Silent
Message: In the summer of 1963, after an all-night bus ride, US civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer and six other black passengers stopped to eat at a diner in Winona, Mississippi. After law enforcement officers forced them to leave, they were arrested and jailed. But the humiliation wouldn’t end with unlawful arrest. All received severe beatings, but Fannie’s was the worst. After a brutal attack that left her near death she burst out in song: “Paul and Silas was bound in jail, let my people go.” And she didn’t sing alone. Other prisoners, restrained in body but not in soul, joined her in worship.
According to Acts 16, Paul and Silas found themselves in a difficult place when they were imprisoned for telling others about Jesus. But discomfort didn’t dampen their faith. “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God” (v. 25). Their bold worship created the opportunity to continue to talk about Jesus. “Then they spoke the word of the Lord to [the jailer] and to all the others in his house” (v. 32).
Our Daily Bread 25 May 2019 – Shackled but Not Silent
Most of us will not likely face the extreme circumstances encountered by Paul, Silas, or Fannie, but each of us will face uncomfortable situations. When that happens, our strength comes from our faithful God. May there be a song in our hearts that will honor Him and give us boldness to speak for Him—even in the midst of trouble.
Reflect & Pray
When was the last time you found yourself in a difficult situation? How did God help you live out your faith and witness?
Hard times call for prayer and praise to the One who controls all things.
Our Daily Bread 25 May 2019 – Shackled but Not Silent was written by Arthur Jackson(Our Daily Bread Ministries)