“But about midnight, as Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the [other] prisoners were listening to them, suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the very foundations of the prison were shaken, and at once all the doors were opened, and everyone’s shackles were unfastened.” Acts 16:25-26 (Amp)
As a student in the eighties, it was impossible to escape the lyrics of Billy Ocean’s song, which would be blaring from speakers as you move from one block to the other in the halls of residence. It says “When the going gets tough, the tough gets going”. This song alludes to the important fact that winners don’t quit and quitters don’t win. For those with a winning mindset, the only way is forward. They just keep going on until they achieve their goal.
Some of us believe that just because we have God on our side or that we are doing His will everything should be hunky dory. So, it often comes as a shock whenever things take a turn for the worse or when things contrary to our expectations starts happening, and we are tempted to think that we have misheard God or have missed it somehow. Nevertheless, the reality is that we are right on track irrespective of the difficulties we are facing. It means that in spite of the hullabaloo, God remains in perfect control of our lives and He would, as expected, cause all things to work together for our good. So, once we understand this reality, what else is left for us to do? It simply means that we need to go one step further than the people of the world. As tough people, we need to go further than just going. Hence, when the going gets tough, we do more than get going. We get praising God because we are confident in the fact that the God who had led us thus far would not desert us in our hour of need. He can never let us down and will definitely fulfil His promise to us.
Apostles Paul and Silas understood this reality. While boldly preaching God’s word with signs and wonders following, they were arrested on trumped up charges, beaten senseless and promptly jailed for no just cause. They were manacled and thrown into the dungeon while doing the will of God. However, while their bodies were manacled, their spirit was still free and they refused the enemy the opportunity he was seeking to break and also manacle their spirit by not complaining about their difficult situation. They had fully entrusted God with their lives and knew that He was up to the job of taking care of them. So, how did they express that wonderful confidence in God? By praising Him. They demonstrated their spiritual toughness by resolving to praise God in difficulty as a measure of their confidence in God’s ability to do good by them. The result was that they not only felt better, but that God honoured their faith in Him and broke through on their captivity. The reality is that whenever God arrives on the scene of trouble, shackles will have to break and jail doors swing open. The bible says that praise attract God’s presence. So, praising God is not only the right thing to do while in trouble, it is the only sensible thing to do, period. So, when the going gets tough, the tough do only what brings result – they get praising. Praise God today.
Prayer:
Lord, your word assures me that you inhabit the praises of your people. It also declares that whoever praises glorifies God and prepares a way for you to alight into their life. I praise you today in and for my situation because I know that you can and will handle it. I refuse to worry or grumble or complain because your living word has toughened me and I shall be victorious over my circumstances in Jesus name. Amen.