The Best Seats

I went to a different church this week, just to check it out.  I had heard some good things were happening there.  I was delighted with the service and the pastor spoke right to my heart.  His sermon was on the book of Acts chapter 16 where Paul and Silas end up in prison.  It was especially fitting for me as I am personally getting more involved in prison ministry.

The thing I’m going to focus on in particular is something the pastor said about when we find ourselves in trouble and not understanding our circumstances.  What we can learn from Paul and Silas is at midnight in a dark central part of the prison with their bodies bruised and beaten.    They did not say things like, “God, why did you let this happen to us?” or “We were serving You and now look, why did You abandon us?”  or “Why don’t you love us?” or other such things we can find ourselves saying when life gets tough.   It was midnight, it was dark, they did not have a comfortable environment, they were bloody and they were praying, singing hymns and praising the Lord. 

No, they did not blame God, get mad, feel abandoned, feel sorry for themselves, or ask to be removed from the situation.  Instead they praised and worshiped God right where they were.  The pastor said it is easy to fall into the temptation of wondering why, if I am serving God, does it seem like I have more problems than people who aren’t serving the Lord?  Then he said that Jesus promised in this life we will have trouble.

Now to turn it on a level we all could understand in this day and age, he said when you go to a show, which seats cost the most?  The ones right up front.  The closer you get to the stage the more it will cost you.  It only makes sense that someone who wants to know Jesus intimately will pay a higher price.  In this instance it cost Paul and Silas a beating and a prison lock up.  They paid a great price but oh, the reward is worth it. 

How freeing from my pity party of late.  I don’t covet other people’s things as a general rule but I do want to do greater things for my Lord. So, sometimes I find myself wishing I had the idle time I see others have in order to fulfill my passion.  Saying things to myself like, “if I only had their time I would do so much more with it than they do.”  That is when it hit me today, I want a seat near the front and I need to be content praising Him in all circumstances.

It was like a switch flipped.  I stopped being angry and resentful of my “jail” and praised and worshiped Him right where I was. I also stopped being angry and resentful of the people who seemingly waste their “time” having somehow thought they were more blessed.  Paul and Silas were in prison in a front row seat when the Lord heard them worshiping Him. The prison shook and they and all the other prisoners who were listening experienced a miracle as their shackles fell off and the doors opened.  If Paul and Silas been whining, grumbling and complaining no one would want what they had.  You don’t need God and faith for that. 

Do I want to do great things for the Lord?  Sure. The greatest thing I can do is praise Him at all times.  And that means wherever I find myself, on the mountaintop and in the valley.  And every bit of trouble that comes my way is a chance to rejoice and know it’s an opportunity to get closer to Jesus.  He makes me so much wiser than I am.

The best seats will cost you more.