“Praying And Singing Hymns To God!”

“Praying And Singing Hymns To God!”(Acts 16:16-34).
He was a young and promising African theologian. He was a diehard Evangelical.
He stood on the other side of the spectrum of African theology. He challenged whoever saw African religions and cultures as a preparatory ground for the gospel in the continent.
His Ph.D thesis is published as “Theological Pitfalls in Africa.” I’m talking about the late Byang H. Kato. May his soul rest in peace.
Somewhere in the book Kato recounts the story of a seer in his native village in Nigeria. He recounts that prior to the coming of missionaries to his native village the seer predicted that some strangers were coming from far across the seas. She asked the villagers to receive the strangers warmly because they were bringing good news. Kato nevertheless considered that this seer was antichrist because what she forsaw was within the framework of African traditional religion.
We may say that Kato drew his biblical inspiration from Paul who commanded the spirit in the fortune-telling slave girl, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!”
The nuance however is that in the biblical narrative it is obvious that Paul would not have commanded the spirit to come out of the girl if she had shouted only once. For the first time she followed Paul and the others shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” But when she did this for many days, that is when “Paul became so annoyed…” and ordered the spirit to come out of her.
Our focus this week is on singing, songs and praise of the LORD, so let us leave the other side of the story for today.
God sometimes take us through some winding crooked paths to get to where he wants to use us; even when there is a broad and short easy highway!
Commanding the spirit to leave the girl became a reason for Paul and colleague to be dragged before the magistrates who asked the jailer to lock them securely till further notice.
At midnight “Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” The power of prayer and praise opened the prison doors “and everyone’s chains came loose.”
Even so, freedom was not the reason for the chains falling off the prisoners! The target was the conversion of the jailer “and all his household.”
At face value and from a human point of view Paul and Silas were jailed because Paul had blocked the source of great income of the slave owner. But God intended their imprisonment as a means of converting the jailer and his entire household.
The conversion of the jailer and his household is one of the passages justifying the administration of Holy Baptism to infants. None of us can say with certainty that children were or were not in “his whole household.” Again that is not the focus of today.
There are many today who see the manifestation of God’s glory through us. They too ask this “Key to conduct question: ‘What must I do to be saved?'” And the answer is simple: “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved – you and your household.”
My friend, do not underestimate the power of praying and singing hymns to God! The walls of Jericho fell when the children of Israel were praising the LORD. In the same way the chains of Paul and Silas came loose when they were praying and singing hymns to God. The chains of the other prisoners who were listening to them also came loose.
Whatever is your kind of prison and chains right now, pray and sing hymns to God and you will be free in Jesus’ name!
Weekend prayer: LORD, we give you all the praise and adoration now and for all times. Amen!
Have a blessed weekend! Peace be with!
Rev Babila Fochang.