Sacrificial worship
Author
Dr. Roberto Miranda
Summary: Paul and Silas were imprisoned and in pain, but they chose to worship God through singing hymns. This sacrificial worship caused an earthquake, freed them from their chains, and led to the conversion of the jailer. Similarly, Job praised God despite his suffering, and God was glorified. When we choose to worship God even in difficult times, we challenge the powers of darkness and please the Lord. This type of worship involves sacrificing our own needs and focusing on God's glory, and it unleashes God's power in our lives.
When Paul and Silas are imprisoned in Philippi after being flogged, still in chains and bleeding from their wounds, they pray to the Lord and praise Him by singing hymns. This sacrifice of worship on the part of God's servants mobilizes divine power, and a strong earthquake causes the jail to shake and the prisoners' chains to fall off. Acts 16:
25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God; and the prisoners heard them.
26 Then suddenly a great earthquake struck, so that the foundations of the prison shook; and instantly all the doors were opened, and everyone's chains were loosened.
The praise of war completely changes the situation, and the two prisoners who moments before were the very image of helplessness, now guide the jailer to the knowledge of Jesus and are cared for by him! As we can see, there is something very powerful about this type of worship. It is an ideal instrument to channel the power of God from on high to the earth.
32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.
33 And he, taking them that same hour of the night, washed their wounds; and immediately he was baptized with all his people.
34 And taking them to his house, he set a table for them; and he rejoiced with all his house that he had believed God.
Sacrificial worship, elevated in times of pain and fear, glorifies God in an extraordinary way, and puts us in touch with very powerful and profound spiritual principles. That decision to praise God no matter what crucifies the flesh, it is a challenge to the powers of darkness, and it pleases the Lord exceedingly.
It reminds me of Job's defiant words, raised in the midst of his profound tragedy, despite accusations from his false friends, and his wife's wicked invitation to curse God and die. Job 19:
25 I know that my Redeemer lives,
And at last it will rise above the dust;
26 And after my skin is undone,
In my flesh I must see God;
27 whom I will see for myself,
And my eyes will see it, and no other,
Although my heart fails within me.
There is an ancient Pentecostal chorus that expresses this profound truth in a simple way. He says:
Praise God when things go well for you, how good it is!
Praise God when you have no problem, what a good thing!
But if you praise him among your losses,
That holy Christ glorifies himself within you.
But if you praise him among your losses
That holy Christ glorifies himself within you.
God is glorified and His power activated when His children postpone the recognition of our own immediate need and focus on His glory and His holiness. By militantly declaring his Lordship in the face of adverse circumstances that invite us to succumb to denial and doubt, we open a void that will irresistibly attract divine glory and power. Such sacrificial worship constitutes a challenge against the illegitimate demands of the flesh and the devil. It involves a crucifixion of the self. It is a sublime holocaust that humiliates the Enemy. Unleash the irresistible movement of God in the realm of time and space.