Today we turn our attention to Habakkuk 3:17-18
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vine, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, thought there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”
Wow! That is a promise of faith. However, Habakkuk what promised, other Godly men like lPaul and Silas lived.
For doing good, they were dragged before the judges. They were falsely accused. Without a conviction, they were stripped of their clothes and beaten with rods. The Bible says they were hit “with many blows.” After the beating they were thrown into jail. Paul and Silas were not only jailed, but were thrown into the most secure part of the jail. That was not enough so they fastened their feet in the chains.
With no human hope of escape, Paul and Silas did the only thing they could. Acts 16:25 tells us,
“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.”
Stripped and beaten, cast into jail and chained to the wall, how does one sing a song of praise? The Bible does not tell us what song Paul and Silas were singing, but it is almost certain that they were singing one of the songs found in the Book of Psalms.
Maybe it was Psalm 11:1, “In the LORD I take refuge.”
We do not know what they sang, but we do know they sang. This means that even when times were hard and life was tumbling in, these Christian men had the faith it took to trust in God.
Anyone can trust God when the sea is calm, but only a man or woman of faith can trust God when the sea is stormy.
No matter our circumstances, we must praise God anyway!
Lonnie Davis