“After Paul and Silas had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer… put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” (Acts 16:23-25)
As Paul and his companions crossed the Aegean Sea to Macedonia, their expectations must have soared. The Holy Spirit had given them such clear and urgent guidance. He had blocked their efforts to turn north to Bithynia and to go south to Asia. Before them lay the port city of Troas. And beyond that? They didn’t know. Then, in a night vision, Paul saw a man crying in the darkness, “Please come to Macedonia and help us!” There could be no question. God wanted them in Macedonia.
But no sooner had they arrived than disappointment greeted them. Instead of finding a large synagogue – from which to launch a city-wide ministry in Philippi – all Paul and Silas found was a small group of Jewish women gathered at a place of prayer. For weeks Paul could do little more than lead a ladies Bible study.
But the situation quickly deteriorated. Paul brought the wrath of the city upon himself and Silas when he cast a demon out of a slave girl. The demon had empowered the girl to tell fortunes – earning a fortune for her owners. Enraged at the loss of their income, they dragged Paul and Silas before the city officials, who ordered them to be beaten and imprisoned. That night in prison, as their feet were bound in stocks and their wounds throbbed with pain, what went through their minds? Had it been you or I, we might be questioning God. “Why was it so urgent for us to come to Macedonia? Nothing’s gone right since we arrived. And where’s that guy I saw in my vision? So far only a few women have come to the Lord.”
But Paul and Silas did not doubt in the darkness what God had revealed to them in the light. Instead of grumbling, they prayed and sang hymns to God. Then came an earthquake. The marvelous conversion of the jailor and his family followed. The seed of the Gospel was planted in Philippi and it developed into a flourishing church. This repeated itself all through the cities of Macedonia and Greece. Thousands were brought to faith in Christ and churches were established throughout the region.
REFLECTION
- Will believers go through times disappointment when their faith is tested?
- Do you think Joseph doubted the dreams God had given him as he lay languishing in prison (Genesis 37:5-11; 39:19-40:23)? Do you think Moses doubted God’s calling when Pharaoh opposed him (Exodus 5:22-23)?
- God will not fail you or forsake you. Be faithful and trust in the Lord.
