Friday, September 1, 2017

An Unlikely Audience

"Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening."

—Acts 16:25

I was watching a television commercial the other day for a hearing device that’s designed to look like a Bluetooth earpiece. In reality, it isn’t a phone device at all. It simply amplifies the sound around the person who’s wearing it. Maybe there are some people who wear the device so they can listen in on other people’s conversations without being too obvious about it.

The Bible tells us that as Paul and Silas sang their midnight praises to God in the dungeon at Philippi, the other prisoners were listening. The word listening could be translated “listening for pleasure.” There is something about your favorite song that draws you in. I always notice music, and when I hear a song I love, I will tune in. I’m listening for pleasure.

There in the dungeon, everyone was listening in because they had never heard anything like it. I wonder if Paul and Silas were singing some cool harmonies. Maybe not, but I think just the idea of their singing the praises of God in such a dark, oppressive, horrible place caught the attention of the other prisoners.

You can be a great worshipper and not sing well at all. It is all about the attitude of your heart and a willingness to glorify and honor God, regardless of your circumstances.

We have a lost world out there, and they are watching us as Christians. They are watching us when things go well for us, and they are watching us when things are not going so well. When they see us giving praise to God under such circumstances it is a powerful testimony. It opens a door of ministry. And suddenly there is an audience who will listen to what we have to say when they wouldn’t have listened to us otherwise.