I know its a little late with a Thanksgiving message but wanted to post this anyway. It is easy to be thankful when all is going well, but what about when times are tough or life doesn’t seem to be treating you fair?
In Acts 16:16-34 Paul and Silas are in Phillipi, a Roman colony in the district of Macedonia on the first of Paul’s missionary journeys. They are on their way to the place of prayer and are met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. The girl, directed by the spirit harassed Paul and Silas until finally Paul rebuked the spirit and it left the girl.
Once the owners realized the girl was no longer useful to them they had Paul and Silas thrown in prison for being trouble makers; a bogus charge. In prison they were stripped and beaten, severely flogged.
So what was their response? While in prison, Paul and Silas are praying and singing hymns to God. During their time of praise an earthquake came that shook the foundations of the prison so much that the prison doors fell open and the prisoners’ chains fell off.  When the jailer awoke and realized what had happened he was set to kill himself, fearing his punishment. Paul shouted out to him not to harm himself because they were all still there. The jailer was so moved and impressed by it all that he asked Paul and Silas, “What must I do to be saved?â€Â They witnessed to him the way of salvation and he and his entire house with him came to believe in God.
Paul and Silas are arrested for doing something good. Have you ever been punished, persecuted, or at least suffered for doing something good? It is so easy in those times to pout and complain to God, asking Him, “why did You let this happen? I was only trying to do Your work.” It certainly doesn’t seem fair when something like this happens and probably the last thought on our minds is to praise God. It is quite possible that Paul and Silas didn’t feel like praising God either. Yet they did praise Him. As Paul and Silas praised the Lord in a spirit of thanksgiving a miracle takes place. I’m not just speaking about the miracle of the earthquake. No, a much greater miracle takes place. The earthquake was merely the tool used to provide freedom to someone, real freedom.  Not just freedom from earthly chains and bars, but freedom from sin and bondage. I’m not sure why Paul and Silas didn’t just get up and leave, but somehow the Spirit kept them there and as a result the real miracle takes place.
The jailer was ready to kill himself. This tells us a little about the man. First he was selfish; you see he had a family at home, but to avoid the punishment, which I am certain would have been awful, he is ready to kill himself. Secondly he is a man without hope. What a contrast between his response to adversity and Paul and Silas’ response.  Which camp do we fit in?  Obviously the fact that all the prisoners were still in place impacted the man but I have to believe Paul and Silas’ praise earlier sent a message to him as well. He was so deeply moved by it all that he accepted Christ in faith and became a man with hope.
Often we get upset and lose faith and become depressed when things happen to us that are not fair; especially when we feel like we are “serving the Lordâ€.  We act as if while we are serving the Lord nothing bad will come our way and then when it does we either doubt our faith, and\or we get mad at God.  If Paul and Silas do not get put in jail they probably do not get to witness to the jailer and his family.  Consider Romans 8:28 here – “All things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.”
Paul and Silas probably did not enjoy being thrown in prison and felt like it wasn’t fair. They praised God anyway. They had a spirit of thanksgiving anyway. The result was a miracle, ultimately the salvation, ‘setting free’ of a man and his family.  What might happen to us if we praise and give thanks even when we don’t feel like it?