Recently, I was reminded that the characteristics we attribute to God hold true in all seasons, comfortable ones and challenging ones. With so many things happening in our world today, globally and personally, God remains unchanged and is still worthy of our worship. It’s easy to forget the nature of who God is or think He is far, but challenge does not mean the absence of God.
Part of the process of Increasing Our Faith is trusting that God is still faithful, still true, and still good, no matter what we face. The God in our good seasons is the same God in our hard ones.
Worship is a big part of Increase Our Faith, because when we choose to praise in hard seasons and trust that God is near when we might not even feel His presence, we are exercising faith. Worship moves big things in the spiritual realm. It is a powerful thing to get to say that God is good, when we have many reasons to say otherwise.
They [Paul and Silas] were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks. Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening.
Acts 16:23-25
Paul and Silas were not in a good place; they were surrounded by darkness and sat in chains, yet they chose to pray and worship. They weren’t the only people in prison, their worship was heard by the prisoners around them. Their response acted as a testimony to their faith in who God is, even as they faced a challenging circumstance.
As we continue to pursue God and Increase Our Faith, challenges will come. Worship is the appropriate response to the king, no matter what surrounds us, especially when it’s hard. How will we choose to worship God this week?