Acts 16:25-26
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken.
The ministry of Paul and Silas in Philippi soon hit the buffers when they healed a slave girl who was a fortune teller. She had made good money for her owners until the moment God healed her, and they were furious when they realised their source of income had disappeared. They dragged Paul and Silas into the marketplace, where the two men were beaten and imprisoned. Since they’d had a very specific call from God to serve Him in Macedonia, you wouldn’t be surprised if they were feeling very let down by Him. But there they were in a top security prison cell praying and singing hymns to God! What amazing men they were. To cap it all, the prison was suddenly shaken by an earthquake.
This is a gripping story, and it helps us to see what Paul meant when he wrote in Ephesians 5:20 about “always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”. On the face of it, Paul and Silas didn’t have anything to give thanks for when they were slung into that prison cell. Everything seemed to have gone disastrously wrong. But when the focus of our lives is God Himself, however terrible the circumstances, we will always have reason to give thanks.
Question
For what reason can you give thanks to God right now?
Prayer
Lord God our Father, whatever is going on in my life, I always have reason to praise You. Thank You that You are always worthy of my praise. Amen

Released on 29 Aug 2026