Acts 16

Devotional by Hannah Rolfe

Read Acts 16

Acts 16

Timothy Joins Paul and Silas

16 Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. 2 He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. 3 Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily.

The Macedonian Call

6 And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. 8 So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

The Conversion of Lydia

11 So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. 13 And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. 14 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. 15 And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.

Paul and Silas in Prison

16 As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” 18 And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.

19 But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. 20 And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. 21 They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.” 22 The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. 23 And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. 24 Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

The Philippian Jailer Converted

25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, 26 and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” 29 And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. 34 Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.

35 But when it was day, the magistrates sent the police, saying, “Let those men go.” 36 And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Therefore come out now and go in peace.” 37 But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.” 38 The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens. 39 So they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and asked them to leave the city. 40 So they went out of the prison and visited Lydia. And when they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them and departed.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.

Devotional

In Acts 16, Paul and Silas are on a missionary journey. They encounter adversity when they liberate a young girl from spiritual bondage, and this leads to their unjust imprisonment. Yet, amidst this darkness and confinement, we see them choose a response that might surprise you. They chose to worship. Their decision to praise the Lord in their imprisonment was not merely a reaction, it was a deliberate response of faith in God. 

Amidst their worship, an earthquake erupts. As a result of the earthquake, their chains and the prison gates that kept them confined broke open. Scripture tells us that as the jailor awoke and saw that the gates were opened and the prisoners had escaped, he drew his sword to end his own life. Paul stops him and tells him about Jesus. The Philippian jailor puts his faith in Christ along with his family. Because of their worship, Paul and Silas were released from their physical chains, and the jailor was released from the spiritual blindness in his own life. This is a testament to the power of worship amidst adversity. 

Choosing to praise amidst adversity is what breaks us of our chains. It is easy to be chained down by fear, doubt, and uncertainty during these times, but we can learn something from Paul and Silas here. Their worship didn’t just free them from their imprisonment. It touched the lives of the people around them, ultimately leading someone to salvation. This is a challenging thing to do, and often not my first response, but if we shift our focus from the chains that bind us to the one who can break those chains, we will find freedom. Our response to adversity matters. If we cultivate a heart of worship in our lives now, when adversity inevitably comes, we will have hope, resting in the one who breaks chains.

Is your immediate response in adversity worship? Why or why not? 

28 thoughts on “Day Sixteen | The Book of Acts”

  1. Worship is one of the many ways I talk to GOD!! Whenever I am happy, sad, thankful, etc! I am always worshipping our LORD! And even more nowadays!! Our GOD is so good!!!
    I feel closer to GOD whenever I am either worshipping with fellow brother and sisters of Christ, in my car or even just in my room!!

    1. I worship Jesus through song. I sing and worship our Lord by singing Worthy of it all twice before I start my devotionals. I praise and give thanks to my Lord everyday. HALLELUJAH AND AMEN!!🙏📖🙏⛪

  2. Adversity is revealing! Great encouragement and reminder today. Worshipping is a command to obey and a privilege to practice. We NEED it!

  3. Reading Acts 16 made me think of the history of people in bondage (physical and emotional). Paul and Silas sang Praises to God in prison, and Slaves sang Spirituals in the fields. They responded by WORSHIPING the ONLY ONE that could truly FREE them. Whatever adversity you may be facing today, know that there is FREEDOM in Jesus. Lift up your voices and hearts to WORSHIP HIM🙏🏾❤️

    1. Oh Lorraine, what a powerful and vivid illustration for all of us… I thank the Lord for your encouraging comments… It’s like…I can see you in that cell with Paul & Silas…harmonizing with them and the Lord is so pleased with your sweet, sweet aroma (…which is unbridled worship!).

      Thank you.

  4. Romans 5:5 And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

    To me, I’m really challenged this morning by this Word of God and I asked myself, would I still hold on to Christ or praise God like Paul and Silas did, even after all these persecutions? And the answer that came to my mind was that, it all depends on the measure of the love of GOD in my heart and HIS Grace. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were ready to die than bowing for the golden image. I believe the question here that we must all answer sincerely to challenge ourselves is that do I truly love God with all my heart to the extent of losing my all (my life, comfort, health, family, Job, belongings, freedom and all that seems to matter to us) for Christ sake and for the sake of the gospel.

    The Bible says in book of Romans 8:38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. Amen🙏

    Also I learnt that we should continue to pray earnestly for the persecuted Christians and the nations where the gospel has been restricted. May the Lord help us all to be faithful to the end in Jesus Might Name…🙏

      1. Toluwani, the answer to your question: you would… You would still hold on, because He did… He held on and finished that walk up to Golgotha for you………and for all of us.

        Thank You Jesus.

  5. Facing adversity tends to cause us to have an internal focus while worship focus on the object/person that is being worshiped. For me, it’s really easy to play the victim card during moments where I feel attacked. But I’m thankful that my defense mechanism doesn’t have to turn inward; in fact it can be an upward gaze and posture of exaltation to the one who allowed this situation in my life. And he allowed it so that His glory could be revealed. What a joy!

  6. “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved“
    May we continue to stand strong in our faith, worship GOD with prayers & songs all the time and may we win more souls for the kingdom as we do this. In Jesus Christ name, Amen!

    1. It’s easy to lose focus on God in times of adversity! But this is the time to arm yourself for spiritual warfare!!!! Put on your armor: anointing oil, pray, read your scriptures in the Bible, post scriptures around your house and read them daily as you walk about your house, praise and worship and exalt His name with praise music, consistently thank God for what he has done in your life thus far, and lastly I even wash my hands throughout the day and say the Lord’s Prayer as I wash my hands. Affirming his love and blessings as such turns adversity around to your favor. I always say, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Phillipians 4:11

  7. I find that it is difficult to be anxious, stressed, and afraid when I choose to praise and worship God in the midst of adversity and challenging circumstances. We serve a mighty and all-powerful God. He is bigger than all things. What a privilege it is to be His child!

  8. Lord Jesus I praise You on the mountain top of life. I praise You in the dark valley of life. Lord Jesus I praise You in the calm waters and the stormy seas. Lord Jesus You are King of kings and Lord of all. I praise Your Holy Name. Hallelujah Amen!

  9. Lord, help me turn from my worry, and instead turn to you in worship, because I can trust you with all of life’s adversities and because you are worthy.

  10. Heavenly Father, thank You for Your presence in my life through Jesus’ death for my sin.
    By Your Holy Spirit, help me keep my focus on You at all times. I am excited to see the great things You will do as I worship You, the Light in my darkness.
    Make me more sensitive to the leading of Your Spirit that I may bring more honor to Your Name.

  11. That wonderful question, “What must I do to be saved?”…followed by the glorious reply, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou will be saved”…..brings a spirit of joy to my heart every time!

  12. Shifting our perspective off of ourselves and toward a holy God is a difficult yet powerful task. Lord help me to trust your ways even through adversity. Nothing is a surprise to you! Thank you for your faithfulness lord Jesus!

  13. This morning Cindy and I will join the Solid Rockers at Novellus to sing praises to the Lord! Every time we do this, we are the ones being blessed! One of the songs we plan to sing this morning is from Brooklyn Tabernacle “My Life is in Your Hands.” Who knows which one of the residents there needs to hear this more than ever. The goal of these singing engagements to bring encouragement, joy, and gladness to their hearts and free them from doubt, fear, and loneliness. One time at another location, we had finished singing to the group and were departing. One of the caregivers stopped us and told us she was encouraged by our singing. Caregivers are on call 24/7 and need ministry too! Oh Lord, use us today to sing Your praises and lift up the hearts of our residents!

    1. Hi, Grady! Sorry I could not join you this morning, but I was accompanying high school band students for rehearsals. I know that your singing was a blessing to everybody there!

  14. I am so happy that I did these devotionals. It’s funny because it seems like every time I read one it relates to me in some way. This morning it was difficult to get up but I’m so happy I did and had this moment with God.

  15. The story of Paul and Silas is always inspirational. Despite our circumstances, we are to praise. God is always with us, even in the rough times. Be encouraged. 🙏🏾

  17. I believe in the fact that reading the bible and reading the devotionals of God is the best way to be in his word, just like swimming in the deep ocean about us being in his word and how we need to be in his word. I also believe in the fact that worshipping God is a must because when we treat worshipping him as a must, we are in the discipline of understanding his name and his word.

  18. I Praise God with worship and prayers as he guides me through each chapter. Give Praises To God!

  19. This Bible commentary series has been a blessing to me! Thanks for all the wonderful comments!

  20. This reading with Paul and Silas praying in prison around midnight brings to mind the beautiful song our choir sang several years ago called “I Bless Your Name.” So uplifting….

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