Praising Through Your Problems
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· 5 viewsThe importance of how to get through life's problems.
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(Story of the Christian Man Complaining About His Cross)
Church, turn with me to Acts 16:25-26 “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.”
If you’ve been on earth more than a minute you know that life is full of problems. There are big problems, little problems, health problems, financial problems, marriage problems, parenting problems, and so on. In fact, I just named a few. Is there anyone here this morning that can agree that they are dealing with some problems right now?
Many of our fellow Iowans returned this weekend for what many know as Iowa Daze, and guess what, they may run into some problems with their return flights, drives, and bus trips. That may be the bad news to many of us, but the Good News is that Jesus, Paul, and Silas can tell us like Big Mamma used to say, “Trouble Don’t Last Always!”
This morning, with the help of the Holy Spirit, my studies, and your Amen's, I want to talk to you about Praising Through Your Problems!
PRAISE One of humanity’s many responses to God’s revelation of Himself. The Bible recognizes that men and women may also be the objects of praise, either from other people (Prov. 27:21; 31:30) or from God Himself (Rom. 2:29), and that angels and the natural world are likewise capable of praising God (Ps. 148). Nevertheless, human praise of God is one of Scripture’s major themes.
“Praise” comes from a Latin word meaning “value” or “price.” Thus, to give praise to God is to proclaim His merit or worth. Many terms are used to express this in the Bible, including “glory,” “blessing,” “thanksgiving,” and “hallelujah,” the last named being a transliteration of the Hebrew for “Praise the Lord.” The Hebrew title of the book of Psalms (“Praises”) comes from the same root as “hallelujah” and Pss. 113–118 have been specially designated the “Hallel” (“praise”) psalms.
The modes of praise are many, including the offering of sacrifices (Lev. 7:13), physical movement (2 Sam. 6:14), silence and meditation (Ps. 77:11–12), testimony (Ps. 66:16), prayer (Phil. 4:6), and a holy life (1 Pet. 1:3–9). However, praise is almost invariably linked to music, both instrumental (Ps. 150:3–5) and, especially, vocal. Biblical songs of praise range from personal, more or less spontaneous outbursts of thanksgiving for some redemptive act of God (Exod. 15: Judg. 5; 1 Sam. 2; Luke 1:46–55, 67–79) to formal psalms and hymns adapted for corporate worship in the temple (2 Chron. 29:30) and church (Col. 3:16).
While the Bible contains frequent injunctions for people to praise God, there are also occasional warnings about the quality of this praise. Praise is to originate in the heart and not become mere outward show (Matt. 15:8). Corporate praise is to be carried on in an orderly manner (1 Cor. 14:40). Praise is also firmly linked to an individual’s everyday life (Amos 5:21–24). See Music, Instruments, Dancing; Psalms, Book of; Worship.
Some Scriptural passages are:
Psalm 95:1-11 “Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if only you would hear his voice, “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did. For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.’ So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ””
Psalm 117:1-2 “Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord.”
Luke 2:13-14 “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.””
Colossians 3:16-17 “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
I just have 4 points to share with you today, and I pray that they do as much for your life, as they did and are doing for mine.
#1 Praising God in My Problems (v.6, 13,16-18)
Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia.
After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them.
These verses shows us at least three problems that Paul and Silas had. Number one, he wanted to go to Asia Minor, but the Holy Spirit said “No!” Then Paul attempted to go to Mysia, but again the Holy Spirit said “No!” Question? When the Holy Spirit instructs you, do you listen or do what you want to do?
The next issue that Paul and Silas had, was when they were heading to the place of prayer. Many people might miss this, but it’s something that I want to bring to everyone’s attention. Verse 13 says this:
Acts 16:13 “And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there.”
Even in Paul & Silas’ time, the men were missing, and the women were in their right spiritual place. Just as God said to Adam, I believe He’s saying to every man listening today, “Where are you?”
One last problem I want to share from the text is found in verses 16-18.
Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” And this she did for many days.
But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour.
Isn’t it funny how it seems that we have more problems as Believers, than when we were in the world? Well, the truth of the matter is, that this is one of the many ways that the devil tries to deceive God’s children.
After Paul had just baptized Lydia and her entire household, here comes this woman possessed by evil spirits, who told fortunes, shouting; “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.” In the King James or New King James Version of the Bible you could miss what she really said, but the New Revised Standard Version makes it crystal clear. She didn’t say THE WAY. Instead, she a “a way.”
If we don’t stay in our Word, we too can be fulled by things that sound like they are from God, but are really from the devil. This woman irritated Paul so bad that he commanded the spirit to come out of her, in Jesus’ name.
The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Ac 16:17.
From Paul and Silas I learned that I can Praise in My Problems, but he also taught me that I can Praise in My Prison!
#2 Praising God in My Prison (v. 22,23)
Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely.
After Paul had messed with the masters slave girl, and affected his money, he formed a crowd that ultimately got Paul and Silas thrown in prison.
Many of you may know that I spent almost 17 years of my life in prison. However, the difference between Paul, Silas, and me, is that I was placed there for doing wrong. Paul and Silas were placed there for following Jesus.
Yet, this is not the point that I really want to drive home this morning. God and I want to know, what prison have you placed yourself in? Is it the prison of lust? What about the prison of worry? Is anyone dealing with the prison of depression?
Has the prison of drugs and alcohol taken you captive? What about the prison of divorce and death? Did you know that there are more people locked up out here, then there are behind bobbed wire fences?
So, after I’ve Praise in My Problems, and Praised in My Prisons, I must also learn that I need to be Praising God in My Perspective!
#3 Praising God in My Perspective (v. 25)
But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.
Acts 16:25 is a very familiar passage to most people who have read their Bibles, but can I make this Scripture come alive in a way that it will help you like it helped me?
Let me paint this visual picture that may help. Imagine being in a dark, dismal, and cold stone dungeon. You had just been beaten 39 times with a scourge that consists of a rope with metal balls, bones, and metal spikes in it.
Your fresh wound are bleeding profusely, with no kind of medical treatment or care, and the welts on your back and chest are so painful that even Morphine or Fentanyl won’t help!
You are shackled with an 18 inch long chain, that is attached to a guard. Not only were you chained, but your feet were shackled so far apart that the pain was excruciating!
Yet, in all this, Paul ans Silas didn’t complain or wine. Instead, they prayed and sang songs of praise. What do you do when you are going through tough times? Midnight is reflective of dark, hard times, and instead of of pouting, Paul and Silas praised. Instead of being overwhelmed with sorrow and sadness, Paul and Silas sang.
You may be saying, PatorMic, how was Paul and Silas able to praise in all of this? Well, it’s really not as difficult as you think. What makes things hard or easy, is not contingent on the circumstance. No, it’s depended upon my perspective. Do you see the glass half empty, or half full?
Does what the doctor says matter more than what our Great Physician says? Do you tithe because God says so, or do you neglect it because you don’t really trust God?
When we learn how to change our perspective, will also learn how I should be Praising God in My Purpose!
#4 Praising God in My Purpose (v. 28-33)
But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.”
Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized.
After being being denied to preach and teach where they wanted, praying and ministering to the women, casting demons out of the slave girl, being beaten and thrown in prison, Paul and Silas find the real purpose of all of this.
Don’t forget that Paul had a vision or dream in verse 9 of this chapter, and the Amplified Bible says this,
9 [There] a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man from Macedonia stood pleading with him and saying, Come over to Macedonia and help us!
(The Amplified Bible (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1987), Ac 16:9.)
Everything, including the dream was leading Paul and his companions to bring salvation to the people of Macedonia. Deliverance for the slave girl, prayer with the women at the prayer meeting, salvation and baptism for Lydia and her household, and finally, salvation for this jailer and his household.
Just like Paul and his companions, each of us are called to deliver the Good News of the Gospel to this lost and dying world. Witnessing, testifying, and leading others to Christ is not just for Pastors and Preachers. No, it’s for every redeemed believer of Christ!
You see, Christ knows all about Praising Through My Problems! How, because one Friday He was drugged from judgement hall to judgement hall, and placed in prison, but He never said a mumbling word.
He was beaten and spat on, and yet He continued in His purpose. And then He had a crown of thorns placed on His head, and was beaten beyond recognition, yet His perspective never changed.
Why? Because Jesus knew His purpose. He knew that even the He was in the grave all night Friday, and all day Saturday, Jesus knew that early Sunday morning He would rise with the ultimate praise., with all power and glory!