Imagine that you are sitting in a prison cell. This is not some posh or even stark 21st-century prison cell, but a primitive Roman one. Your back is pressed against cold stones. Your stomach is aching with hunger. Your nose is assaulted by terrible smells. Your heart is filled with despair. You know your death must be fast approaching.

And then, somewhere off in the distance you begin to hear the sound of singing. You realize this song is not coming from outside the walls but from within, not from visitors but from inmates. As you listen you realize these were the men who were dragged in the previous evening, men who were arrested, beaten, and jailed for freeing a woman from oppression and professing the name of Jesus Christ. You realize that their song is a kind of dirge, a complaint against man and God alike. In a minor key it expresses frustration with God for these circumstances and pronounces curses on their enemies. It blames God for failing to prevent this expression of his providence and tiptoes perilously close to cursing his name. Though you had heard of this God and been intrigued by some of what you had learned, you can now feel your interest waning and your heart turning.

But we should stop and rewrite our story a little bit because this is not what happened in Acts 16 where we read of Paul and Silas being accosted and assaulted and imprisoned. Though they had done nothing worse than free a woman from oppression, they were severely flogged and confined to the darkest of dungeons—the very place I’ve told you to imagine yourself. And in that dungeon they began to pray and sing—to sing songs that flowed out of their love for their God, their confidence in his gospel, and their hope in his purposes. Let’s pick up our corrected version of this story.

Somewhere off in the distance you begin to hear the sound of singing. You realize that this song is not a dirge, not a complaint, not an imprecation, but a song of praise, a song of joy, a song of triumph. It is not in a minor key but a major key and tells not of defeat but of victory. Along with the other prisoners you listen, some perhaps out of mere curiosity but surely others because they are intrigued. When so many inmates have turned their back on their god, why do these men continue to express their love for theirs? And what is it in these dark circumstances that compels them to continue to trust him and continue to sing his praises? As you listen, you feel your heart stirring, your sorrows lifting, your hope rising.

There is something holy, something attractive, something magnetic about those who praise God in their sorrows Share

There is something holy, something attractive, something magnetic about those who praise God in their sorrows, about those who sing songs in the night and praise God in the darkest of valleys. In fact, I believe eternity will prove that often the reason God has seen fit to permit such sorrows is that he means for his people to prove to a skeptical world and to wavering saints alike that faith can survive the greatest of shocks, that love for God will endure even the greatest of losses, that God’s people ultimately love him for who he is, not for what he has given them. God means for his people to prove that they will love him whatever his providence dictates and however it directs.

So this is the sacred calling given to those who suffer—to lift trembling hands, to raise tear-stained eyes, to sing with wavering voice, to praise God as much in taking as in the giving. This is the sacred calling that proclaims that love for God will survive any trial. This is the sacred calling that brings great glory to his name.

Good morning. Grace and peace to you.

Today’s Kindle deals include a wide selection of devotionals, commentaries, and other books.

Garrett Kell has a must-read at TGC. “My two earliest memories of my mother couldn’t be more different. The pleasant one is our evening routine: She’d pull me onto her lap to recite the Lord’s Prayer and sing ‘The Old Rugged Cross’ until I fell asleep. The other is her sobbing in her bathroom, telling me how badly she wanted to die. This perplexing tension between Mom’s two sides carried on for 40 years or so until my mother went to be with the Lord earlier this year.”

Susan Lafferty offers a seasonal reflection on chasing memories.

“We are witnessing the dual rise of two troubling issues: narcissism and body dysmorphic disorder. These challenges, amplified by social media and cultural expectations, are taking a profound toll on women’s mental, emotional, and spiritual health. While this is not a psychology blog, my heart is burdened to address these challenges in a way that I pray will offer hope, healing, and biblical encouragement.”

Robert Rothwell explains how Christians should think about the wrath of God.

Phil Hunt wants every believer to accept the call to meaningful ministry. “In the ancient world, religious duties were typically reserved for a specialized priestly class. Yet here was Paul, declaring that every believer has a vital role in building God’s church. This democratization of ministry wasn’t just revolutionary then – it’s transformative now.”

“As long as there is time, let us not give up on friends, family, and everyone whom God sends into our lives. We are called to be patient and faithful while leaving the results to God. Let us continually minister in love and grace because God has also been loving and gracious towards us. Let us reflect on the love we have received from God. Let us beg God for the grace to be loving when our love is tried and tested by people who are so hard to love.”

Is obedience to parents permanent or is it temporary? Does honor always require obedience? If I want to honor my parents do I need to continue obeying them throughout my life?

It may help us if we will always remember, when we find it hard to get along with anyone, that this is only a new lesson in loving set for us.
—J.R. Miller

Many Christians experience a contradiction between what we believe to be true about the Bible and our actual practice of reading the Bible. Often our theology is superior to our habits. We profess that the Bible is infallible, inerrant, authoritative, and sufficient, but we then neglect it in our daily lives. We agree with David when he says of God’s words, “More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb” (Psalm 19:10). Yet in our lives we show little hunger for those good, pure, sweet, nourishing words.

How can this be? It is because we allow other things to take the place that should be reserved for God and his Word. It is not that we lack time, but that we lack desire. It is not that we lack ability, but that we lack interest. Robert Chapman says it this way: “The great cause of neglecting the Scriptures is not want of time, but want of heart, some idol taking the place of Christ.”

I think each of us can agree and admit that we too often permit the presence of some idol, something that displaces in our lives the place of prominence that only God deserves. Whether it is entertainment, work, socializing, or something else altogether, we will not prioritize God until we uproot that idol.