How God works in hard situations

Prison Hymns

Do you ever get song stuck in your head?

It happens all the time for me, especially Tiktok songs

I’d sing a few but everyone would collectively call me cringy or give me a side eye

But do you ever get a worship song stuck in your head? It’s kinda weird because when I grew up most worships songs would not get stuck in my head, main because they were not catchy.

However these new worship songs are so catchy.

“fear is not my future, you are, you are”

“Celebrate the King seated on the throne. The Glory is yours forever more”

“And my soul sings, in the morning . I love the king and he loves me. And all that I’m compelled to bring, is my everyday offering”

Worship is something special. See worship is not JUST singing songs to God, there is more to it but to take a sec and just jump into singing songs to the Lord is something unique.

We sing every week (or try to) at youth group and at church on Sunday we sing consistently.

See when we lift our voices in song we bring God Glory.

Now jumping in to Acts we can see that too, we are looking at Acts 16 and about Paul and Silas who just got taken to prision for healing people.

Which is absoluetly crazy, that through Jesus Paul and Silas healed a woman from her demonization, that she was no longer under control of a demon and guess what, people did not like that she was heal! She was making money when she was under the influence of a demon and so they took Paul and Silas to prision.

Knowing that lets read the prison account :

Acts 16:19–33 NIV

When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.” The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. When he received these orders, he 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. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” 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?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized.

A wild encounter

that Paul and Silas would begin to pray and sing hymns to God and that would lead to the destruction of the Prison. However that would not even end the Singing and Praising of Jesus.

They did not stop singing in the middle of the rubble that signified freedom.

What power that had in the lives of those around them, as we read about the Jailer going to receive Jesus because of what they had witnessed.

This narrative does not show us that Jesus is activally trying to blow the roof off the joint when we start singing.

I think this narrative shows how powerful Worship is. That Paul and Silas would start singing even when they are bound hand and food to a concrete wall.

Nothing could stop them from praying and praising the Lord almighty.

We need to approach life like that. That when we feel like we are really stuck in our situation that we could not help but sing songs to God.

Look at it this way;

When hard times come, they are happening; I even have a qoute that I say to myself when I am going through a hard time or difficult situation: “I am where I am” which means I cannot escape, or leave this area and have to come to terms that I am present in that situation or place. This really helps me to then let go of how I wish things where or wishing that I could be else where.

All that comes to a head where I accept my situation or place and begin to praise Jesus.

Here is the thing; Jesus is Bigger then the prision.

Jesus is bigger then your situation, might that be friendship issues, school and grades, maybe that be health, may that be family issues.

JESUS IS SO MUCH BIGGER THAT YOUR PRISION. WHEREVER YOU ARE JESUS IS BIGGER THEN IT.

even if we sit in a prison, Jesus is still present and when we see that we sing it.

Lord Jesus Come.

I know your stories, I love them and enjoy listening to them; and as much as I wish and pray your guys stories would look more like how you want them to look, I would much rather pray that you would Praise Jesus even in the bad times.

So praise Jesus, he is the one who is worth of the Glory, it’s not us asking for him to take away the prison or our situation we find ourselves sitting in. Rather it’s us saying praise lord Jesus for he is the one worth of the glory even if we are at the worst place in our life.

Jesus is so much bigger then the prison.

So lets praise him rather then just sitting in it.

But it does not stop there;

Paul and Silas also sit in prision and contiune to praise Jesus even though the walls are busted open and their bonds are released.

Even in freedom they choose to praise Jesus.

The thing we need to know is that even when everything is made right we still get to praise Jesus. That is what really connected with the Jailer, the prisioners could have left and escaped when they saw the hole in the wall.

They choose to praise Jesus as their situation changed, never once did they stand up and say that was good I’m going to stop praying and leave now, thanks for freedom Jesus, it was good I will call next time I need something.

Rather they praise Jesus.

You need to praise Jesus in the prison or situation you are stuck in.

You need to praise Jesus when you have freedom.

Its so powerful even to people who don’t believe.

Our songs in worship are a crying out but also a celebration.

My prayer is constantly; “that each one of you would want to praise Jesus in the prison or in the open field of freedom”

So Praise Jesus in the high parts of life or the Low parts of life

What worship song do you love right now?

What did Liam say that the prison represented in Acts 16

What are “the prisons” where you need to worship Jesus.

What did Liam say the “Fields of Freedom” represent?

What are the “Fields of Freedom” where you are forgetting to worship Jesus.