Yesterday for our Pastor’s first sermon, he talked about Acts 16:16-40. This is the story of Paul and Silas. There was one verse, Acts 16:25, that struck a chord with me. You see, when I was driving to church yesterday, I had a heaviness weighing down on my heart. I was sad and felt like I could just break down and cry at any minute. It had been a crazy week with so much going on for me and my husband. The biggest thing was finding out that my aunt only has about 72 hours left.
My aunt and uncle were married for 63 years. My uncle passed away in March and my aunt has been declining due to dementia. Now with my uncle gone, she was declining faster. With everything that has gone on since the beginning of this year, and especially this past week, I was slipping into a dark place. Sadness was overtaking me. Then I read these verses about Paul and Silas in the Bible as the Pastor preached.
Verse 25 struck a chord. It was a reminder for me. No matter the sadness or dark place you find yourself slipping into, rejoice. Praise God for the trials. We need to praise God in the good times and in the bad. That’s what Paul and Silas did, they praised God! Here they were, falsely accused, stripped naked, beaten with rods, and thrown into a dark dungeon with their feet bound in an uncomfortable manner and yet they praised God and sang hymns! Even in this dismal place they found reason to rejoice and praise God.
You see, no matter how bad things are, no matter how sad it is going through a loss, there is still plenty to praise God for. We should because you see, God knows best and works everything for our good. I can praise God that He will give my aunt peace, He will give me peace, and my aunt will rest from all the toils from this world. One day, probably sooner than we think, Jesus will return and raise us all up. In that day, I have the hope of seeing all my loved ones who have gone before me and being with them for eternity! The best part, it will be a place that is far better than this life.
All the cares of this world will be gone and we will have peace, joy, and love forever more. Praise God!