October 18.
A Tough Ordeal

Acts 16:25

And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

Paul and Silas decided even while they were in pain to do some praising. One of the greatest medicines for pain is praise. When it looks like everything is going wrong, just start praising. You don’t need pianos or organs; just start singing a melody in your heart -Jesus I love you, Jesus you mean So much to me; Jesus you brought me from a long way. Shut out everything else. Cut off your cell phone. Spend a little time just praising the Lord.

While they were in pain, they started praising. Paul could say, “I’ve been in shipwrecks where I’ve had to pray through. I’ve been in prison before; I’ve been bitten by a snake. I’ve had churches to not want me; I’ve had to pray through that. Paul and Silas are praying and singing; that’s a good combination. They were a duet. What messes too many of us up is we try to handle life solo. I can handle this by myself. Find you a prayer partner, somebody you know who can get a prayer through. Lay down your liquor bottle and walk away from your dance partner and find yourself somebody that knows how to talk to God. The day will come when all that other stuff won’t mean anything. When you find somebody that can talk to God with you, if your prayer doesn’t get there, theirs will help boost yours on. The prayer of the righteous availeth much.

I really don’t know what they sang and what they prayed. But can I tell you what I would have prayed. I would have bowed and said, “Now Lord, you know me; you’re the one that picked me out. You’re the one that sent me on this mission; you knew when you called me that I didn’t know what I was doing or where I was going. It was you that told me that you would be with me. I don’t want you to destroy my enemies. Now if it be your will, give me strength to make it through this ordeal.