And the Chains Fell Off

[REPOST, 2018]

Motivated by obligation rather than want, I rolled out of bed that Sunday morning and drove myself to church. When you wait until the last minute to arrive, finding a parking place is not easy. It felt as if the only spot left was the one farthest from the front door. Each painful step reminded me that I needed God more than I needed to lay in bed wondering, why me.

Passing by the greeters at the front door, I dreaded the how are you this morning questions. Instead of making eye contact, I make a bee line to my seat. As the first worship song begins, I stand. My body hurts, but my heart hurts even more.

I tell myself, no one knows.

Then I hear God’s whisper to my heart, I know. Worship me.

“Around midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to it foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off!” Acts 16:25-26

Making a Way for Worship

Paul and Silas were beaten and imprisoned yet praised God. Instead of weeping, they worshipped. Instead of worrying, they worshipped. Instead of asking why, they worshipped.

And the chains fell off.

At some point, each of us are held captive by the chains of life.  Many of us are bound by illness, financial hardship, marriage difficulties, wayward children, or disappointment after disappointment. The weight of our pain and suffering seems too much to take.

That Sunday morning, I remember thinking, this is definitely too much to take. But as I stood and worshipped with prayer and praise, my chains fell off.  There was no miraculous healing of my body, but my pain faded, and I was reminded that no matter what I face on this earth, because I worship a loving Father in heaven, I am free.

From Weeping to Worship

“Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God – soon I’ll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He’s my God.” Psalm 42:5 The Message paraphrase

I tell myself, I am not going to cry. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. There are times that weeping has consumed my every thought. Uncontrollable, inconsolable – crying.

Maybe you can relate.  It is the kind of crying that sends you running to your bedroom and falling face down on the bed. It seems as if your world is crashing down around you and there is nothing you can do but cry.

At some point, in that moment of despair, God always gets my attention. He hears our cries. When we turn our attention to him, instead of our circumstances, we acknowledge him as Lord over all. That my friend is worship!

And when we worship, tears of sorrow are turned into shouts of joy.

From Worry to Worship

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27

If we’re not careful, our too-much-to-take moments will turn into worry. When we get bad news, or face hardships day in and day out that our minds cannot reason with, we are tempted to worry.  As if worry will find a cure, pay the bills or mend broken relationships.

Our minds fill with senseless questions when we focus on the what-ifs instead of Christ. What if I don’t get any better? What if we lose our home? What if I am lonely forever?

What if Paul and Silas worried instead of worshipped?

When we worship, we proclaim all that God has done and will do. We are prepared with the truth of His Word for battle against worry.

From Why to Worship

“And for we know that for those that love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

Why?

Trying to figure out why is an endless, tiring and get-nowhere journey. I know. I’ve tried it – and failed. But through it all, including my failures, God has brought me closer to Him, closer to other people and closer to His purpose for my life.

If instead of asking why, we worship God for the good He brings into our lives, our perspective changes. I admit there are some things that my human mind will never understand or see good from. But that’s just it, my mind is human. When we worship Him, we are saying, “You are God, I am not. I trust your Word. I trust your promises. I trust you. No matter what.”

When we worship, whether it is in church, in the quiet of our home, or in prison, we invite God in to dry our tears, free us from worry and give us purpose.

Notice the chains of every prisoner fell off that night. Not just Paul and Silas, but every prisoner. Dear friend, you too can be set free. Ultimately, we are all chained by a broken relationship with Jesus. But when we surrender to and follow Him, our hearts are no longer enslaved, and we can look forward to an eternity where there is no pain.

There is only hope.