Paul and Silas were ministering in the city of Philippi when trouble befell them. It seems that the work they were doing was perceived by some to be a threat to their business, so they had them arrested, flogged, and imprisoned.
Ever have one of those days when things don’t seem to be going too well? Well, it was certainly one of those days for Paul and Silas, and I’m sure you’ve had a few of those kinds of days, too.
Interestingly enough, some people mistakenly think that Christians are people who God promises to protect from problems and difficulties. On the contrary, God tells His children that since they belong to Him, not only do they have the usual difficulties that everyone else encounters as they live in this old world to deal with, but now they have Satan as an enemy, which can often compound the problems the Christian encounters.
But take heart! God has a purpose in allowing His children to deal with difficulty. His purpose is to use these times to reshape us into the image of His dear Son, and, in the process, allow us to show a lost world the difference a relationship with God can make in one’s life. You see, the Christian faces the same kinds of problems in this world that everyone else encounters - Christians have to deal with disease, losing their job, raising their kids, working through marriage problems, getting an education, losing a loved one, dealing with change, and living in a nation that has declared war on terror.
Christians face many of the same kinds of troubles that everyone else does. The only difference is that they have a God to turn to in difficult times.
God’s design is for Christians to bear testimony in troubled times to the difference God makes. How can the Christian bear such testimony when facing times of trouble? Let’s see what we can learn from the example of Paul and Silas.
If we are going to bear testimony in troubled times ...
1. We must give our attention to prayer - v. 25a
Three ministers were talking about prayer in general and the appropriate and effective positions for prayer. As they were talking, a telephone repairman was working on the phone system in the background. One minister shared that he felt the key was in the hands. He always held his hands together and pointed them upward as a form of symbolic worship. The second suggested that real prayer was conducted on your knees. The third suggested that they both had it wrong—the only position worth its salt was to pray while stretched out flat on your face.
By this time the phone man couldn’t stay out of the conversation any longer. He interjected, "I found that the most powerful prayer I ever made was while I was dangling upside down by my heels from a power pole, suspended forty feet above the ground."
The writer of Hebrews encourages us to "approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need," (Hebrews 4:16). The fact is, that every day of my life is a time of need I just don’t always realize it. But when I find myself facing troubled times, I become more aware of my need of the Lord.
It’s in those times especially, when I should turn to Him in prayer! As I do, I can rejoice in knowing that I can come before His throne with confidence because I am His child. As I humbly acknowledge my need of Him, I can rest assured that He will provide me with the guidance, the peace, the calm, whatever I need to deal with the troubled times I am facing.
"God can’t resist those who humbly and honestly admit how desperately they need him," ~ Jim Cymbala
In his book "My Utmost For His Highest," Oswald Chambers says that it is wrong to say that prayer changes things. Instead, it is more proper to day that prayer changes me so that things might be changed.
Indeed, through prayer, God can use the troubled times I am having to deal with to change me in whatever way is necessary to enable me to respond to the difficulty in the right way and reflect Christ to a lost world.
2. We must center our attitude on praise - v. 25b
"Every problem is an opportunity to prove God’s power. Every day we encounter countless golden opportunities, brilliantly disguised as insurmountable problems." ~ C. Swindoll, One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
Through praise, we acknowledge the power of God. Praise focuses our attention away from our problems to God’s sovereign power. It causes us to be reminded that God is on His throne and that He is in control.
Through praise, we are enabled to surrender to His divine purpose and abandon ourselves to His sovereign will.
Praise is also a declaration of faith by which we declare the greatness of our God.
Through prayer we can tell our God how big our problem is;
through praise, we can tell our problems how big our God is.
Jesus, lover of my soul,
all consuming fire is in your gaze;
Jesus, I want you to know,
I will follow you all my days.
For no one else in history is like you,
and history itself belongs to you.
Alpha and omega, you have loved me,
and I will share eternity with you.
It’s all about you, Jesus,
and all this is for you, for your glory and your fame.
It’s not about me,
as if you should do things my way;
You alone are God and I surrender to your ways.
Through praise, I testify to my faith in an all-powerful God who is worth serving, despite the problems I face, because I know that His power is greater than any problem, and that His purpose for my life transcends any difficulty I might encounter. As Paul said, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us," (Romans 8:18).
Through praise, we can present a positive testimony in troubled times.
3. We must direct our action toward people - vs. 27-32
Rather than thinking only of themselves, Paul and Silas concerned themselves with those around them who could be influenced by their testimony in the time of trouble. In this case, it was not only the other prisoners, but the jailer and his family.
Notice how Paul and Silas were concerned for both the jailer’s safety (vs. 26-27); but his salvation (vs. 28-32).
In times of trouble, there are many who concern themselves with the safety of their fellow man. And, certainly, the Christian should be concerned for the physical well-being of others. But if that is the limit of our concern, we will have failed to effectively bear the witness that is needed. We must also be concerned about their salvation.
Difficulties have a dramatic way of causing people to think about eternal things. As Christians, we also must be alert to matters of eternal significance and take advantage of every opportunity we have to urge others to make sure they are prepared for eternity.
"Lord Christ, your servant Martin Luther said he only had two days on his calendar: today and ’that day: And that’s what I want, too. And I want to live today for that day." - Joseph Bayly
Conclusion: One of the things that is important to point out is the need for consistency in our lives. How is it that the lady was an effective witness in the time of trouble? It was because she had been a consistent witness before. She had credibility. She had integrity.
If we are going to be ready to effectively bear testimony in troubled times, we need to commit ourselves to bearing a consistent testimony today (2 Timothy 4:5 - "But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.")
That means that daily I must give my attention to prayer, center my attitude on praise, and direct my action toward people!
