Acts 16:26 – Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose.
There are times when the world and the enemy of our souls rejoice because we are under shackles. They feel that we are silenced through chains and prison cells. When we are forced into persecution, there is a sigh of relief for the world around us. But our Lord gives us songs in the night to sing along even when we go through sufferings as these hardships are a matter of praise for us. He enables us to sing whether it is day or night and whether we are free or under bondage. But as we suffer and still sing to the power of our Lord, He will not watch silently for long. If He is delaying His interference, it is only for us to keep singing songs in the night and learn to praise Him in our most painful and adverse circumstances. But at the right time, He will demonstrate His power in a small measure to unshackle us and remove our bondage. God’s power doesn’t require keys to open prison doors or loosen chains. His act of rescue and deliverance for His children come at unexpected moments and send shock waves to onlookers. It is likely that the world around us writes us off and declares that our story ended with bruises, chains on both hands and feet in the stocks. But God takes them on and proves to them that they cannot undermine the power of God working for His children.
Dear reader, are you shackled by the chains of complicated circumstances and painful situations? Even when there seems to be no scope for deliverance out of the situation you are in, there is an assurance that your Lord knows all about it. Not only that, He is with you in the prison cell where the world has locked you up. When His Spirit releases your heart and mind from the bondage of circumstances, you will be able to sing praises to the Lord. The enemy’s objective in putting you under bondage is to frustrate you and your message of gospel. He doesn’t know that he cannot shackle your heart where Jesus lives and that your heart can sing songs of deliverance and praise even when the body in shackles. It is also comforting to know that your Lord is watching your scenario. He gives you songs in your heart and His Spirit fills you with His praises. Your singing and praising through adversity is an opportunity for fellow prisoners to listen to your message of songs of praises. Thus when you continue with your ministry even when physically bound, your Lord will demonstrate His power in a small measure to declare His ownership of you and how you are precious in His sight. His power will release your body from chains and stock as a testimony to His faithfulness to you. Today your Lord is with you in all your adverse circumstances. He understands your pain, misery and frustrations. He comes to fill you with His grace so that you can go through adverse circumstances with songs in your hearts and mouths. He raises your head in hopeless situations and establishes your testimony in the wake of sufferings and pain. He will create opportunity to demonstrate His power in your life to touch the lives of those around you so that they will also experience His grace in a mighty way. Today let us look at our Lord who is with us rather than the chains and the stock that we are in or the dungeon we are locked in. Let us sing praises to the Lord for the dungeon and wait for Him to release us from our situations through the demonstration of His power.
Psalms 32:7 – You are my hiding place; You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Thought for Today God’s power is demonstrated in our lives first by unshackling us from restlessness, anxiety and fear so that we can sing songs in the night and then releasing our bodies from persecution.
