At the top of your lungs!

Etched in my mind is a scene of two men confined to a dark prison.  They are bruised, bloodied and battered, but yet they are singing to God at the top of their lungs.  What in the world?!  Their behavior was unnatural and certainly illogical.  But sing they did, praising God in spite of physical pain and exhaustion, their feet secured in stocks.  It seems they couldn't keep from praising God. 

 

And then a funny thing happened; as they were singing songs to God, the prison doors flew open and their stocks fell off . . . they were free! 

 

Luke records it this way: "Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off!1"

 

Hmmm, I can only wonder if Paul remembers this night years later, writing "rejoice in the Lord always" [yup always, in all circumstances] in his letter to the Philippians.2 Rubbing his beard, he shakes his head, smiles a little, and recalls that night so vividly.  'Yes, rejoice even when in prison, even when hungry. It is God's way, his method of rendering contentment to our hearts.'  God seems to spring into action when his people sing and praise him. On this night, God uses an earthquake to bring freedom to Paul and Silas as they forget about themselves, and praise him.  So good.

 

And then because Paul and Silas did not flee, the jailer was so taken aback, he wanted to know their God, he wanted to know Jesus!  He came to salvation and his whole family!  He had watched Paul sing and praise God, and then he saw how they thought more of him and his life than their own.  Yes, he wanted to know their Jesus.

 

There is great power in praising God - singing at the top of your lungs!  It produces feelings of thankfulness, an attitude of joy - renders to our hearts contentment.  And well, joy and contentment?  They are contagious!  Go ahead... I dare you-try it: praise God!

Love, love~

1 - Acts 16.25-26

2 - Philippians 4.4 - actually, read Philippians 4.4-13!!