Focused on the Father

Scripture:
Acts 16: 24 – 25 — “Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.”
 
Observation:
What faithfulness Paul and Silas were demonstrating. They had been beaten, placed in painful stocks, yet they prayed…. Yet they praised! Their audience was God, but their fellow prisoners were privileged to listen. Regardless of the cost, these men were determined to be faithful to the call of God upon their lives. Even when the price to pay for obedience was high, they found their strength and drive to carry-on, through a focus on their heavenly father. They sought Him in prayer. T hey sought Him in praise. They praised who He was and refused to be led to doubt by their present conditions. Ones faithfulness impacts others. Those imprisoned surely heard the prayers and were curiously touched by the praise.
 
Application:
These verses challenge me as to what my response would have been. What if I were in these conditions, such as Paul and Silas? Would I be filled with prayer and praise or resentment and doubt? These men knew where to turn at the most difficult of times. They maintained a faithful focus upon their Father. They knew how to seek Him… through passionate prayer and praise to the One in whom was their trust. Their Father responded and eternal miracles followed. I must be a seeker of Him. In times of difficulty when my heart desires to doubt, become angry and worry, I must apply the truths exposed in His Word. I must seek Him in prayer and praise, regardless of how difficult or delightful I might find my life. I must be a man focused on my Father.
 
Prayer:
Father, at the start of my day, help me to be a man who heart is set upon you. Regardless of what this day may hold, I want to pursue you in prayer and praise. You surely desire this today. Create a hunger and yearning in my heart to worship you today and to walk faithfully in your ways. Thank you that when Your child seeks You, that You are there and that You listen and that You answer.
 
— Steve Parten, family pastor