Praying and Singing a Robust Hymn

It always amazes me that so many Christians are so anemic in their worship. They barely sing the songs, and they will not often engage in serious prayer. All of this while being in church with other believers. How can that happen? Maybe we are too comfortable. It could be we take for granted the privilege of prayer and the joy of unbridled worship. Paul and Silas did not have that trouble at all. They found themselves securely chained and under heavy guard in a Roman prison. (Acts 11:22,23,25 Even though they had been beaten black-and-blue, they were at prayer and singing a robust hymn at about midnight in the dark prison. Their actions amazed the other prisoners. I suppose their actions could even be surprising to some believers.

I wonder what we would do if we had our clothes ripped off, and we were beaten in public? We might not react well at all, if we were not focused on the Lord, but on our pain. Then, how would we act if we were thrown into prison? It could be very depressing, and we could be scared to death, if we were not filled with the Holy Spirit. However, if we are walking in the Spirit, focusing on the Lord, we will realize that God is our hope. The most natural thing would be to pray and sing a hymn from our heart to the Lord. This would be especially true if we were with a fellow believer with whom we could pray and sing to the Lord. Then, our attitude and actions would be a great testimony to the joy of the Lord and our relationship with Him that brings us peace in any circumstances. That is why I am so perplexed about the state of worship in most church on most Sundays by a lot of believers. Just think about the witness to seekers and unbelievers who gather with us for worship, if they could see us praying and singing with our entire body, soul, and spirit, engaged in seeking the Lord and praising Jesus. Let's try it and see what happens.

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Tomorrow, I Intend to read Acts 17-19.