Paul and Silas Land in Prison

The story continues today as Paul and Silas free a slave girl of a demon who has given her the power of divination.  Unfortunately for Paul and Silas the slave girl's owners are upset that this causes them to lose  heir source of income.  They convince the authorities to punish Paul and Silas for disturbing the city. Paul and Silas are stripped, beaten with a rod, and thrown in prison.   Locked in chains Luke tells his audience that Paul and Silas sing hymns and pray to God.  Shortly after midnight a powerful earthquake rocks the prison.  It's so powerful that the cell doors are flung open and chains unfastened.  The jailer so distraught over his misfortune is about to kill himself when Paul calls out that they have not escaped.  This provides Paul and Silas an opportunity to witness to the jailer.  The jailer and his family are baptized and the list of followers grow.  The next morning Paul and Silas are released and they continue on with their journey

What struck me today was that even locked in chains, even after being beaten with a rod, even with not knowing what will become of them, Paul and Silas sing hymns.  They are so filled with the Holy Spirit that they can look beyond the difficulty of their circumstances to find hope and joy in Christ.  It's easy to praise God when everything is going well, but how are we to praise God when we are locked in the chains that bind us? How do we tap the power of God's spirit to find hope and joy beyond the circumstances of this world. Perhaps, it begins simply with prayer and asking Christ for a spirit of joy in the midst of difficulty.