Wed., 7/29/15 Devotion (Acts 16:25)

Today's encouragement comes from Acts 16:25, where we read these words:

"But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them."

This well-known verse (above) has several intriguing elements to it. First off, Paul and Silas are up late (at midnight). Secondly, they are praying and sing-ing "publicly," and out loud—sensitively, but not being shy that others would hear them. Lastly (and most-miraculously), the other prisoners were "listen-ing" to them. They were giving attention to what was being sung and said.

We can imagine that those two men may have had gravelly singing voices; but it is also likely that what they sang and prayed was a great source of mini-stry to all who heard them. Let us remember that the Christian faith, the true religion, is not a "private" matter, as the unbelievers would seek to make it; instead, our doctrine is totally "public," and it should fill the world even as "the waters cover the sea."

[Puritan quote of the day: "Is your sin as big as God, as big as Christ?”
—William Bridge, in, "A Lifting Up for the Downcast"]