"But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.." (Acts 16:25)
TODAY'S WORD , David said in Psalm 32, "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered" (verse 1). Our immediate response after confessing our sins should be thanksgiving, because we are thankful that God has forgiven us and for what He has done for us.
The Bible says, "Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever" (Psalm 106:1). When we thank the Lord and think about who He is and all He has done for us, like David, we will realize we have a lot to be thankful for.
We should give thanks to the Lord when we feel like it. But we should also give thanks to Him when we don't feel like it. Why? Because our emotions can mislead us. If things aren't going well, we may think, "I am not going to praise the Lord today." But we need to go ahead and praise Him anyway. I believe that as we begin to praise God, we will start seeing our problems for what they are, because we will see God for who He is. Even when we don't feel like it, we need to praise God, because He is worthy of our praise.
Things weren't going well for Paul and Silas when they were whipped and thrown into a Roman prison-a stinking, damp dungeon. Yet, the Bible tells us that at midnight, Paul and Silas sang praises to God (see Acts 16).
That is what we need to do-to sing songs to the Lord in the night, even when we don't feel like it-because the Lord is good, and He is worthy of our praise. A PRAYER FOR YOU TODAY Heavenly Father, who sent your Son into this world and to work as a simple carpenter: if you so humbled yourself to save me, how can I puff myself up with pride above others? Let me follow Christ's example, never to inflate myself with pride of status, of opinion, or of any of the gifts you have bestowed upon me. Give me the grace to realize my ignorance, admit my mistakes, recognize my needs. Let me welcome good advice and sound rebuke, without defensiveness. Grant me always to praise rather than criticize, sympathize rather than discourage, build rather than destroy, and when I am angry at the ignorance of another, to recall my own ignorance and remember that we are all your beloved children. Let my hope and glory be ever in you, and not in my own vanity. This I ask in Christ's sake, Amen. |
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