The Power of Joy
Have you read the story of Paul and Silas who were shackled in a Roman prison (Acts 16:16-40)? After preaching the Gospel and exorcising a local girl, Paul and Silas were unjustly imprisoned. While imprisoned, at midnight, they prayed and sang songs to God, loud enough for other prisoners to hear them.
I have wondered — how I would have reacted in a similar scenario? I hardly doubt that I would have prayed and sung hymns loudly. What made Paul and Silas respond in this manner? All verses indicate that they responded this way because of the rich fruit of joy in their hearts.
What is joy? Joy is a fruit of God’s Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). It is His gift sprouting forth in our hearts, but what is the seed that sprouts forth this fruit? The seed is the sure and certain knowledge that nothing, absolutely nothing, can separate us from the deep and vast love of God revealed to us in the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ, for our sake.
Thus, for Paul and Silas, who were imprisoned in a Roman cell, although their fates were uncertain, they could have been crucified at dawn’s early break, however, they were certain in whom they had placed their faith and that He had them in the palm of His pierced hands. And so, they prayed and sang.
As a dad of three little ones, I am often awoken in the middle of the night by my children — a missing lovey, a drink of water, a bad dream. Once awake, various cares and concerns can quickly flood my mind — the next day’s schedule, meetings, chores, errands, tasks, car stuff, family stuff, work stuff, stuff that needs to be fixed around the house, grocery lists … and it’s 2:45 a.m.! Many times, it can become harder to fall back asleep. I’m sure we’ve experienced something similar.
Yet then, I remembered Paul and Silas’ example — to pray and sing hymns. And so, I began singing hymns to God and quickly fell back asleep. There’s something in reminding ourselves about God’s goodness, even in the wee hours of the night, which disarms and overpowers the cares and concerns of the world. This is the gift of God’s Holy Spirit breaking the power of the cares and concerns of this world and lifting us to the very presence of God, to join the angels and archangels and all the company of heaven, as they eternally sing hymns of praise to God. This is the power of joy.
