WHY SHOULD I PRAISE GOD, WHEN MY LIFE IS HARD?

A. I would like everyone to think about a time, when you had to go through a hard situation, but you learned something in the process.

Ex: When you first learned to tie your shoes. It was difficult at first, but you eventually learned how to tie a bow knot.

When did you go though a hard situation, but learned something?

Let’s make it a little personal.

What are you going though right now, or have gone through recently, that you would describe as hard??

You can use a word such;

Relationships,

Health Issues,

Finances,

Etc.

B. Today we’re going to dig into Paul and Silas’s response when they were in prison, where life was obviously very hard. They chose to praise God through their experience.

Hopefully our discussion and time in God’s Word will help us discover how we can respond when life is hard on us.

Hop

Paul once been a man who persecuted people who followed Jesus, but now he traveled and taught in Jesus’ name. He was an experienced and, in many places, well-respected teacher.

Paul was on his second missionary journey at the time of this account when he was jailed with Silas in Philippi.

Acts 16:16–34 KJV 1900

16 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: 17 The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. 18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. 19 And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers, 20 And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, 21 And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans. 22 And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. 23 And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: 24 Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. 25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. 26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed. 27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. 29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, 30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. 32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. 34 And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.

c. What questions immediately come to mind?

d. What catches your attention?

The young fortune-tiller followed Paul and Silas for seven days, shouting, “These men are servants of the most high God, Who are telling you the way to be saved.

Acts 16:17-1

Acts 16:17–18 KJV 1900

17 The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. 18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.

e. All fortune-tillers are all demon possessed.

Paul became so annoyed he confronted the evil spirit in her. At first glance, it seems what she was saying might have help them, but Paul would have known God’s spirit and presence verses a fraud.

The slave girl could have possibly created a distraction to Paul’s teaching, rather than helping gather attention for the right reasons.

Paul did not confront the girl, but the evil spirit. He was not irritated with the girl, but the evil spirit.

f. What does this teach us about how to recognize counterfeit faith and confront it?

Paul and Silas were arrested for interfering with income the young fortune-teller’s owners could make.

Once Paul commanded the evil spirit to leave her, she could no longer make her owners a profit.

The owners accused Paul and Silas of stirring up civil disorder by promoting customs that were not legal for Romans.

Paul and Silas had the right to share their own beliefs. Romans tolerated variant religions, but their law prohibited anything that spurred civil disorder, whether it was based in religion or otherwise.

Acts 16:24 KJV 1900

24 Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.

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D. Compare how hard the situation was for Paul and Silas at this time to how difficult situation can be in your own life and what seems very different from your own circumstances?.

We know what happened after Paul ans Silas prayed and sang, But when they were in that moment, they didn’t know what was ahead.

What could prompt anyone, Paul and Silas or us, to pray and sing when life is very hard?

From this account,

What can we learn about the impact that our responses during hard times can have on others?

When the jailer woke up and realized the doors were open, he nearly killed himself, but Paul let him know all the prisoners were still there.

Jailers were personally responsible for the security of the prisoners. If a prisoner escaped, the jailer on duty would have to serve the remainder of the prisoner’s sentence. In this case, he would have had to serve the sentences of all the prisoners, or be put to death.

Paul’s response to the jailer shows his compassion. He focus wasn’t on escape from the prison. He was concerned with escape of another kind. escape toward something instead of from something.

He praised God despite his own circumstances and honored God by caring for the jailer’s life.

In turn, the jailer showed compassion to the prisoners by taking them home and tending to their wounds, and he chose to believe in the God whose power he personally witnessed for his own, as well as his family’s salvation.

It seems everything worked out for Paul this time, and his positive response the the difficulties he faced had an impact on many others. But what if his imprisonment would have lasted longer? Would his hope, courage, and willingness to praise God have dwindled?

In fact, Paul was later imprisoned again for several years.

Acts 24:26–27 KJV 1900

26 He hoped also that money should have been given him of Paul, that he might loose him: wherefore he sent for him the oftener, and communed with him. 27 But after two years Porcius Festus came into Felix’ room: and Felix, willing to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound.

He spent a lot of time fighting false accusations and living under house arrest. I wonder how Paul’s outlook on each situation change as God responded in different ways and different timing?

How did the differences in our situations affect our willingness to praise God?

One way we see that growth in being willing to praise God in all circumstances is through applying what we’ve discovered to our lives.

God intends us to learn from what we read. He teaches us about Himself, ans He teaches us about ourselves.

We looked at Paul’s encounter with God last session and know that once Paul had experienced God’s power, he followed God well.

But it didn’t make his life simple or easy. He faced persecution, accusation, imprisonment, and more.

In each circumstance, Paul made a choice to honor God with his response.

Sometimes we want to do what makes sense to us, and God’s way doesn’t always make sense.

We want to understand and change our circumstances, not praise God in the midst of them.

What about you?

How are you struggling with praising God even when your life is hard?

Or perhaps you’re struggling to praise God regardless of what’s going on around you.

You’re just not sure what praise looks like or if you really want to give praise to God,who you might not know well.

ho you might not know well.

Let’s reflect personally on what God is saying to each of us right now.

How are you struggling to praise God, even when your life is hard?

How are you struggling to praise God regardless of what’s going on around you?

Do you wonder what praise really is and if God is worth it?