Do you feel imprisoned by problems or held hostage by fear?

Lesson #13 on a Journey to a Water Well

June 2016

“Be joyful always; pray continually; and give thanks in all circumstances.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Two and a half years after our journey to the water began by reading the book “Kisses from Katie,” our family arrived in Jinga, Uganda. After twenty-four hours of travel, we were exhausted.

We stayed at the Sole Hope Guest House. On our first morning there, the staff invited our family to their devotional on the lawn. Fifteen to twenty staff members gathered to read God’s Word, share, and pray. We listened quietly but were quickly humbled.

To us, our new Ugandan friends were surrounded by poverty. Many needed clean water, ample food, electricity, or shoes. And yet, every staff member spent so much time praising and giving thanks. Their gratitude was as conspicuous as their joy.

They weren’t blind to scarcity, but their eyes were fixed on their Savior.

We’ve all experienced poverty of body, soul, or spirit—where demand exceeds supply, and fear surpasses faith. Suffering is universal. No one needs to explain tattered clothes, bare feet, or walls made from mud. We recognize suffering, but we don’t always understand joy.

The apostle Paul experienced lack. He understood suffering, but his response to affliction held the secret to our friend’s joy. Paul said: “Be joyful always; pray continually; and give thanks in all circumstances.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. This sounds like pithy advice, but Paul knew the difficulty and power of God’s command.

In Acts 16, Paul and Silas were unjustly jailed and bound with chains.

Paul sat in a dark lonely jail cell, not knowing what tomorrow would bring. He didn’t have control over his future. Paul didn’t deserve to be beaten, jailed, or bound with chains. And I’m guessing he didn’t understand why God allowed this injustice. His physical pain mirrored his inner torment.

We, too, can find ourselves in a dark and lonely place, not understanding why we’re here or what lies ahead. And like Paul, we don’t deserve cancer attacking us, the marriage unraveling, the loss of our job, or our child going wayward.

These realities are as painful as unfair.

Our souls feel imprisoned by pain and bound by fear. Our prisons have walls of anxiety and chains of fear. In the dark and lonely cells, the enemy seeks to rob us of our ability to recognize or experience God’s provision or joy.

But God.

God didn’t forget Paul and Silas. He saw their cell and provided their escape in Acts 16. Just like He has provided for our freedom, but it wasn’t through worry or strategy. It was through prayer and praise.

When Paul and Silas prayed and praised, the earth shook, prison doors flung open, and chains fell off. (Acts 16) God gave a physical example of a metaphorical truth.

The key to freedom is prayer and praise.

But let’s be honest; prayer and praise can be difficult choices. How did Paul and Silas choose to praise when the soldiers ransacked their bodies and bound them with chains? How do we pray and praise when we’re handed the diagnosis or when someone we love walks away?

It’s easy to fixate on pain and complain. It’s easy to follow our emotions into captivity instead of God’s will into freedom.

But something powerful happens when we raise our voice in praise, not because the circumstance dictates but because our God is worthy of our worship. Sitting in dark lonely places is a test of faith. What will we do when we don’t see anything good or understand why? Will we worship in dry and barren places? Will we worship despite the pain?

Worship is one of the most powerful forms of spiritual warfare. God inhabits the praise of His people. (Ps. 22:3; KJV) And God’s presence is more powerful than any prison or problem. God planned our escape, but worshiping God inside the cell will require every fiber of faith, trust, and self-control.

There’s freedom in rehearsing His praise instead of our problems. Prison doors open, and chains fall off when we fixate on our Savior when we choose to praise Him because He’s worthy of our praise.

Last week I bumped into a friend I hadn’t seen in years. Her husband passed away unexpectedly two years ago, leaving her a single mom with two teenagers. She simultaneously expressed her deep despair and her profound gratitude. She recounted God’s blessings and faithfulness despite her unspeakable grief. Prayer and praise did not diminish my friend’s sorrow but freed her to experience joy despite her pain.

I’m not sure what worry is overwhelming your mind or laying siege to your heart. But I know how easy it is for fear and disappointment to consume our hearts, minds, or souls. I know how difficult it can be to trust God when your soul is in torment, and your life ransacked. God’s given us freedom through Him. Our eyes don’t have to be blind to scarcity but should be fixed on our Savior.

We should praise God not because our circumstances dictate but because He is worthy of our praise.

We should expect God. Expect to recognize suffering but understand joy. And when we do, we should prepare for the earth to shake, prison doors to open, and chains to fall off.

Say yes to prayer and praise.

Lesson #13 on Journey to a Water Well

13. Experience the freedom of joy instead of the prison of despair by choosing to pray and praise despite the pain.

Want more? Start here.

Read Acts 16 about Paul’s unjust suffering while doing God’s work.
Are you experiencing scarcity or suffering physically, emotionally, or spiritually? Do you feel imprisoned by problems or held hostage by fear?
Compare your response to scarcity or suffering with Paul’s in Acts 16.
Do you grumble and complain or pray and praise when facing hardship? If so, why?
Spend five minutes praying and praising. Record your gratitude or listen to your favorite worship song recognizing the freedom and power God is granting through your obedience.