About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. ~ Acts 16:25
READING: Acts 16:6-24
In Bangalore, India, most of the roads at present are not thoroughfares. Detours are inevitable while numerous flyovers are under construction. Diversions always make journeys longer.
In Acts 16, Paul was precisely led to go to Philippi. The Holy Spirit confirmed this was the target city by leading Lydia’s household to Christ. Further, God gave Paul a core team. The team was making good progress until God permitted a regression for a short time, as we read about the cruel imprisonment of Paul and Silas. The description of their agony would tell us that Paul’s future seemed to be totally crushed.
We often encounter this experience. William Carey endured difficult hardships in India where he lost his son and his wife became insane. Certainly it would have made him think that his mission in India was doomed.
I do not know what kind of life reversal you were or are right now facing. Remember God is able to make use of your life reversals to move your ministry forward.
How can we change life reversals into our ladder to climb up? Acts 16:25 illustrates three great qualities of Paul, who always moved forward in spite of life reversals. The first one is his confidence in the Sovereign work of God in his life. The second is his courage to face pains and sufferings for the purpose of His church (9:16). The third is his firm commitment to complete the task that God had entrusted to him (26:16 – 18). Remember these three qualities, illustrated so admirably by Paul, as you pass through your own life reverses.
Lord, Strengthen me as I pass through the “Philippi” experience of Paul in my own context. Make me victorious in all my endeavors. Amen.
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