Acts 16:22-25
22 Then the crowd mutinied against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered that they be stripped of their clothes and beaten. 23 After giving them many blows, they threw them into jail, and ordered the jailer to guard them with the greatest security. 24 Upon receiving such an order, he put them in the inner dungeon and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25 About midnight, Paul and Silas began to pray and sing hymns to God, and the other prisoners listened to them. 26 Suddenly there was an earthquake so strong that the prison shuddered to its foundations. Instantly all the doors were opened and the chains were released to the prisoners.
Pablo and Silas were in jail. And not in any prison. They had been put in the dungeon, with their feet chained to heavy wooden beams. This was maximum security to the maximum. The situation seemed hopeless. They had few friends in this city. They had no lawyer to call, no one to pay bail for them. At midnight when the situation was at its lowest point, Pablo and Silas used the weapon that the jailer could not take away: worship. They started singing (loudly). Other prisoners chained in a similar way sat down to listen. Imagine that! Singing in the dungeon!
We do not know what songs these two men chose. All we know is what happened as a result of Paul and Silas worshiping God. A strong earthquake shook the prison. The doors opened wide. The chains fell. Pablo and Silas were free!
Worship is a powerful instrument in the hands of a believer. Even when only one person praises God, the earth trembles and the prisoners are made free.
Jehoshaphat realized that this was true when he faced an entire army. The combined forces of Moab and Ammon with troops of the Meunites, encamped in Engedi threatening to invade Israel. Jehoshaphat, king of Israel, sought God through prayer and fasting. The next day, he did what the Lord had commanded him to do. But the strategy was nothing like what he had been taught in combat school.
Instead of putting his strongest and fiercest soldiers on the line of battle, Jehoshaphat chose to put certain men at the head of the army to sing praises to God. In their haste to flee, they left behind so much booty, that it took the Israelites three days to carry everything.
One of the most dramatic biblical stories about the power of praise is found in the fall of Jericho. Imagine what the inhabitants of Jericho thought when they felt that the great walls of their city were crumbling to dust. And why did they fall? It was not a cause of cannon fire. It was not the cause of an earthquake. But the cause of the shouts and praises of God!
God had a unique plan to deliver Jericho into the hands of his people. He ordered Joshua and his men of war to march around the city once a day for six days, led by the priests. On the seventh day, the people would turn around the city seven times, and on the seventh time (after the priests gave a great trumpet with their instruments) they should shout with all their might to the Lord.
It is not the typical battle strategy. But it worked. Praise songs are a common response to victory or obstacles in Scripture. Solomon composed a love song like no other to proclaim the depth of his feelings for his beloved.
But let's be clear: Not everyone who worships God is freed from persecution. There are numerous stories of followers of Jesus who were brought to his execution while singing songs of praise. But imagine the celebration in heaven when these brothers entered with joyous praise on their lips.
When we think of the powerful facts that God has done (and will do) when the praises of God are raised, we no longer think of hymns as boring songs or praises as repetitive choruses. God is honored (adored) when we present ourselves before Him and say:
-I'm your son. I am willing to do whatever you want me to do today.
Service as an act of worship can be something as great as a life dedicated to missionary work or something as simple as spending time with an elderly neighbor. Presenting your body (which represents your life) to God is a great act of worship.
Ways to worship God
When you think of worship, you probably imagine people singing in your congregation. But you can worship God at any time, anywhere and in almost any way you can imagine. Do not wait until you feel like worshiping God. The Bible encourages us to praise God all the time, no matter what is happening in our lives. In fact, when we face difficult times (a good friend abandons us, our parents separate, we lose our job, a loved one dies, we fall in love and we are not reciprocated, someone you love hurts you) praise and adoration are transformed into a weapon that shakes the heavens.
Here are some ways a Christian can worship outside the doors of a church:
- Sing in the shower, in front of the mirror when you comb, in the car, while you walk, doing your domestic tasks (let your imagination go crazy).
- Listen to worship CDs at home, in the gym, or shopping (use a portable CD player), or in your car.
- Play an instrument or write a song, a poem, a story or any other creative work that expresses your love for God.
- Do you learn more through the visual arts? Create a painting or a sculpture or drawing that captures what you feel inside you when you think about what Jesus did for you.
- And do not forget the performing arts. Feel free to worship God through dance, drama, pantomime, sign language (you complete this list!).
- Record your thoughts in a continuous love letter to God. Keeping a journal is an incredible way to have an intimate "conversation" with God.
I do not know what your jail is, what is happening in your life, what I am sure of is that God wants to free you, no matter what circumstances we are going through, my Venezuelan brothers, my brothers in the world, there is nothing adoration can not break, that genuine adoration that comes from the most intimate of our hearts, that which claims that it worships God for what it is, not for what he can give us. Today is a good day to adore him, to love him, and You will see how the jail will shake from one moment to another.
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