Joyful in the Dark

Leviticus 10-12; Acts 16 

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them…The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’”

Acts 16:25, 29, 30

Why did Paul and Silas, although beaten and bloody, have such joy at midnight in a Philippian jail?

After the vision of the man from Macedonia, they knew they were where they were supposed to be, doing what they were supposed to do. The persecution they had experienced was a normal part of the calling they had received.

Do we consider persecution or testing for our faith and witness as normal?

Following the earthquake, the jailer drew his sword to kill himself; but, far away from the darkness of the inner cell, a man shouted, “Don’t harm yourself. We are all here!” (Acts 16:28)

How did Paul know the jailer was about to kill himself?

Just as God gave the vision of the Macedonian man, God, in the darkness, revealed the jailer’s intentions. This insight was a light in the dark. We, too, often live and minister in the dark, but Jesus promises to give us needed insight.

“...for your glory.”