In Acts 16:22-30, the Apostle Paul and Silas met with an experience on the way to the place of prayer - which set a girl free from a spirit of fortune telling and resulted in their being dragged before the magistrates. They were accused of advocating Jewish customs, stripped and severely flogged and thrown into prison. The Bible records that while Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns in their time of difficulty, there was a violent earthquake, the foundations of the prison were shaken, the prison doors were opened and their chains were loosened. The jailer and his household were even saved on the same day.
James encouraged believers to pray when they are suffering and sing when they are happy (James 5:13). It is a call to remember to be thankful for God’s blessings and provision. To maintain our joy, hope and trust in God even in difficult circumstances.
Ps David Peters talked about God wants us to have an expectation of new. When God is doing something new, there will also be increased opposition. God gives us new hope when we are in the new season. Difficult moments are akin to being chained in prison. As we choose to praise God in those times, sacrificial praise gets Heaven’s attention. God’s timing is always right and we are called to persevere in faith before the breakthrough comes which can come suddenly! Our faith is tested and developed as we remain steadfast in Him during the difficult times.
The Peters prophesied that though the world around is entering a winter, the Church is entering a spring. Ps David Peters exhorted believers to “start singing and spring will come” instead of “singing only when spring comes.” (Psalm 40:3, Psalm 42:5, Lamentations 3:22-23) He also exhorted the believers to rise up in intercession and worship in the midst of the ideological and spiritual prisons that are occurring in the world.
Discussion Questions
1) What was one take-away for you from the recent Teaching seminar ‘Call to Arms’ by David & Greta Peters over the weekend (10-11 July)? Share briefly. [10 min]
2) What was one lesson you learnt in a ‘prison’ where you sang or prayed at that time? [10 min]
3) Ps David Peters said that “The world around is entering a winter but the church is entering spring.” How can the church respond against a backdrop of a world in winter? [10 min]
4) Share an area or the “prison” that you want to have a breakthrough and why. [10 min]
