Day 58 — Miracles in Painful Places

Acts 18:23-26
After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.

Paul and Silas find themselves in prison after being wrongly accused, badly beaten and their freedom taken. Still from this confinement, they show how worship invites freedom. They're all too aware that nothing can shift unless He shows up.

As a worship leader, this has to be one of my favourite moments where the Kingdom breaks in. It shows just how quickly God is moved by worship, how – when we choose to honour God in our most painful places – he increases his presence.

For many of us, these past few weeks have been saturated in pain as we've experienced the heartache, tension and strain of recent events. Here Paul and Silas show us how to navigate these days. You may not be in a literal prison but the sentiment applies. We don't use worship to bury our heads or escape from the pain but when we choose to worship, it invites freedom into that area of our lives.

For me this is such a helpful reminder that worship opens the prison door and allows us to walk free.

Prayer — Help us to worship even in the middle of pain. Thank you for this miracle we read about today and the hope it holds. Remind us to constantly rely on your strength and not our own.

Michael Shannon
Leadership Team