WEDNESDAY’S WISDOM
Pity or Praise… Which Will You Choose?
SCRIPTURE: ACTS 16:25, HABAKKUK 3:17-19
We love the Paul and Silas story, especially the ending. You know: the part where they and all the prisoners got out of jail… bail free, charges dropped, escorted out of the city. Glory to God!
But what about the bleak beginning: being arrested on the way to prayer, falsely accused, locked in the inner prison… no lawyer, no phone call. In Paul’s case, it happens in every city he preaches. It’s enough to make you wring your hands in frustration, to quit. He had every reason (from a human standpoint) to feel sorry for himself. He wouldn’t be the first: Jonah, Elijah, Gideon… David lamented and cried all night long. But there is another option: they prayed and as was their usual sang and praised God. The prayer meeting had a change of venue, that’s all. They took up where they left off.
Could you do that? Can you keep serving, preaching, feeding the poor even with a broken heart and persecution on every side? Habakkuk called it a “yet praise.” When all hope is gone, we have the power to creat hope with our praise. Thinking about the goodness of God stirs up the praise within.
In fact, I feel one coming on now! Gotta go!