Cloudy skies --Thunder storm or spring showers?

Situations often get us down. When we are looking at another person going through hard times, it's easy to look at them and tell them to have more faith or to tell them to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. However, the fact is, when we go through hard trials or circumstances, it's rough. Taking a step back to look at the bigger picture just doesn't seem to be as much of an option. We get wrapped up in our problems and we yell at God--"God, why me? Why now?" "God, I trust in You, just take me out of this circumstance." "God, when are you going to pull through for me?" We are filled with a flurry of different thoughts and chaos rages in our mind.

As shown here, many times we are in a spiritually good place when things like this happen. In vs 16, we can see the this girl constantly bothered Paul and Silas AS they were heading up to prayer. They were in a spiritually well place, and suddenly they come upon a distraction that tries to bring the focus away from God. They did the right thing by casting the evil spirit out of her, but even so, they were sent to jail.

They were flogged and thrown into jail. This is where we usually come in with our selfish desires and start moping. "God, this is how you repay me?" The focus suddenly becomes on us as we bathe in self-pity. Our attempts in prayer are simply more pleas of self pity. But look at what Paul and Silas did. They CHOSE to pray and sing hymns to God. They weren't moping, but rather they were still rejoicing in God. They knew that through all the difficulty that God was still sovereign and they would continue to rejoice in Him. They could of done otherwise, but they CHOSE to worship God.

Because of their joy even amidst tribulation, the other prisoners noticed and listened to them. They saw a joy that could not have been from themselves..and simply listened. The earthquake came and everybody's chains went loose. Paul and Silas did not have to preach it to them or to tell them how much joy they had in God, but they simply had to express the joy in their hearts as they worshiped God and the people around them noticed. Our joy and delight in God is a blessing to us and also a wake up call for those around us. They see in our joy something they wish to have for themselves.

Oh how great God is. He let EVERYONE go free and yet, He still cared about an individual jailer. In the beginning of the chapter, Paul and Silas were trying to save people. Then, in human eyes, a roadblock was set before them. And yet, in the end, it was all part of God's plan to reach out to this jailer.

What we need to realize is two-fold--1) God works in His own timing and His own ways. 2) God is ALWAYS sovereign--after all, He's God. Once we can fully know this, not only as information, but know it in the depth of our hearts, we will be able to joyfully praise God even in the storm. In fact, who knows, maybe by that point we won't even really differentiate between stormy days and sunny skies. But to get there, we should be working at it. Not moping in self-pity when things come our way or even praying to God that our situation stinks and pray that we "know" He could use it for His glory, but be doubtful in our minds. But rather, as hard as it is, never let the focus become about us and always stay focused on Him by giving Him the praise. By singing hymns and being filled with a genuine joy.

So let me conclude this thought by going back to the beginning of this passage with the funky girl. She is speaking the truth and yet, she has an evil spirit within her. I think here is an important point that ties the whole story together. It is not about looking joyful or "Christian" on the outside, but rather it is what is on the inside that matters. On the outside we can be saying what is right, playing the Christian role, acting joyful, and praising God with our lips, but if the inside is not right…if our hearts are not humbly aligned with God's heart then we are missing the whole point. Obviously in this slave girl is an evil spirit, and while that may not be exactly the same thing as a hardened, stubborn, calloused heart, I think it gets at the same thing--is our heart in the right place? When our hearts are really in the right place, we will strive for these transformations from the inside out. To trust in God, to have joy, to spread His word in all circumstances. Don't be putting on a front for the approval of mere men. You can't fool God, you can only fool yourself, and sometimes other men.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Praise the Lord, oh my soul. Thank God for His Son. Thank God for He is sovereign. Thank God for the storms before me are simply spring showers to Him.

Created about 2 years ago