Daily Devotional 7/18/26

Acts 16:25 (NKJV): But a midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

This is one of my favorite stories about Paul. I am always amazed at the calmness of Paul in this situation. He has not only been thrown in jail; he has been thrown in the deepest part of the jail and put in chains. The people who put him there were going to make sure that he did not get away before they dealt with him. The people who put Paul and Silas in jail were most likely going to execute them. Paul and Silas were not ignoring this fact. Paul and Silas were not unaware of where they were and what was coming. Paul and Silas knew full well that this might be their last night on earth. But they did not panic. Instead, when they should have been asleep, they were praising God. In the middle of the night, they were witnessing to the greatness of God. In the darkness, they were proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus. I have always wondered if I could remain that calm and have that much faith in God in that kind of situation. I pray none of us has to find out in our lives if we would respond like Paul and Silas. I also pray that we learn to be confident enough in our faith in Jesus that we can find moments in our lives that we can praise God in the worst moments in our lives. I pray that we can find the calm in the raging storm by praising our Redeemer. Today, may we start to learn how to live in the love and strength that the Holy Spirit provides to us each day.