And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. Acts 16:25 KJV
Having set a young slave girl free from demon possession, her owners were upset, had Paul and Silas whipped publicly, and locked away in the dungeon of the prison. This was their reward for sharing the gospel and setting a young girl free. We expect when we do what we should as Christians, God will protect us from harm. Quite often the opposite happens; we suffer for the sake of the gospel and because we don’t expect it we complain. Paul and Silas responded to their mistreatment with songs of praise and prayer. God used their response as a testimony to everyone in the prison. Because they responded as they did the jailer and his household became Christians, and a church was planted in Philippi.
Lord, I often feel sorry for myself when treated poorly after serving You in someway. This does neither me nor anyone else any good. I want to respond like Paul and Silas so You can use me to accomplish Your will when my circumstances are both good and bad.
