Singin’ Away the Jailhouse Blues

Abraham Lincoln was in a heart-breaking phase of life.

It was the autumn of 1863, and his Presidency was presiding over the bloodiest conflict that the nation had ever been involved in.  So far, the Civil War had claimed hundreds of thousands of casualties as the Northern states battled the South.  In the past year, the rebel army had plunged deep into Northern territory, threatening to capture Washington, and winning victory after victory on the battlefield.  Even when the North did win, it came at astronomical prices, such as the Battle of Gettysburg, where 60,000 casualties fell in three days of fighting.  The violence had even spilled over into civilian life, with the devastating New York draft riots raging earlier in the summer, killing hundreds in the streets of New York City.

Facing re-election the next year, he was not particularly popular amongst many Americans.  The war was not going well for the North, and Lincoln was receiving much of the blame for that.  There were murmurs already that he would lose the election and be removed from office.

In more personal matters, Lincoln’s young son Willie had died in the previous year of illness.  This was the second child that Lincoln had lost to sickness, and it understandably shook him deeply.  His wife was still deeply mourning the loss, and would never fully recover.

All in all, the autumn of 1863 was a terrible time for the President.  There was not much to praise God for, and there was certainly much to be upset about.  If anyone could have found reasons to be bitter, frustrated, and depressed, it was Abraham Lincoln.

But on October 3, 1863, Lincoln would release a Proclamation:

“The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God…No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”

The Thanksgiving holiday had been celebrated sporadically before this, but this was the beginning of the annual tradition in America.

Even in the midst of great national and personal hardship, Abraham Lincoln found things to thank God for, and called upon the whole nation to acknowledge Him in the midst of their collective struggle. Although his heart was broken, he summoned the will to praise and honour the Most High God.

In the trial season, praise becomes one of our greatest weapons against despair.  It might not shorten the trial or change the circumstances, but worship is important nonetheless, because it changes our heart.  The very nature of the act of exalting Jesus is that we turn our eyes to Him.  And when our eyes are on Jesus, then they are not on ourselves or on our ordeal.

We serve a glorious Lord and Saviour, and the incredible truth is that our King Jesus is worthy to be worshipped!  He is worthy all the time.  His worthiness does not change when we are having a bad day or month or year.  Whether we are healthy or sick, rich or poor, happy or depressed, celebrating or mourning, satisfied or frustrated, at peace or at war – the One who died for us deserves our worship.  He is no less worthy of praise based on whatever our situation might be.

As the apostle Paul and Silas brought the Gospel to the city of Philippi, they encountered a demon-possessed slave girl who harassed them constantly as they attempted to minister (Ac 16:16-17).  By the spirit that possessed her, this girl was able to predict the future, and made her owners large amounts of money from fortune telling (ibid).  After putting up with the nuisance for some time, Paul finally turned and drove the demon from the girl, in the Name of Jesus (v.18).

Furious at the loss of their fortune-telling income, the owners of slave girl lied about Paul and Silas, stirred up a crowd against them, and had them arrested by the authorities, who flogged them severely and threw them into a prison cell, fastening their feet in the stocks (v.19-24).

This would have been a good time to complain.  The men were doing God’s work, walking in God’s will, and doing so without causing any trouble, and for their efforts, they find themselves whipped and in chains.  Does execution await them?  Will they be beaten again?  Will more injustice be visited upon them?  There is no way for them to know.  Sitting in a dark prison cell, unable to move, with fresh bloody wounds on their back – it would have been a good time for some grumbling.

But remarkably, they do no such thing.

Scripture says that at about midnight, “Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” (v.25).

It seems completely backwards, but Paul and Silas choose this moment to start a worship service.  Rather than gripe, they pray.  Rather than whining, they worship.  Rather than stare at their shackles, they look to Heaven. Rather than get bogged down in despair over their circumstances, they shake their hearts loose from despair by praising their Lord.

The result is incredible: “Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose.” (v.26). The jailer is fear-stricken at the escape of his prisoners, and prepares to take his life, but Paul stops him and leads him to Jesus (v.27-31).  The jailer takes the men of God to his home, feeds them and cares for their wounds, rejoicing in the Saviour that he has now met (v.33-34).  The authorities attempt to free them the next day, but Paul demands a public apology for their treatment, and he gets it (v.37-39).  Paul and Silas leave, and continue on in their ministry.

Scripture tells us that God inhabits the praises of His people (Ps 22:3).  Wherever His people worship Him, He dwells in that place.  This is literally and powerfully illustrated in the story of Paul and Silas: as they began to worship, God showed up in a very real way!  But even if the LORD does not literally show up in such a dramatic fashion as we lift our voices to Him, the Presence of God still comes upon anyone who would exalt His Name.

This is where worship becomes so important when we are struggling.  When we worship, God is there with us.  When we praise Him, He comes to us to receive that praise.  When we thank Him, He arrives to accept that thanks.  God draws near to us as we draw near to Him (Jam 4:8).

And when He does, He has an amazing way of blessing us with His peace.  As the old hymn says, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face/ And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.” By fixing our eyes on Jesus, we cease fixing them on ourselves and our situations.  There is a lightness of heart that comes with the peace of God, and while it won’t necessarily end the trial, it will make it so much easier to endure.

We cannot always control our circumstances.  But we can absolutely control our reaction to our circumstances.  And in our heartache, it is perfectly natural to want to complain, grumble, and lose hope from whatever it is that we are going through.

The key there is, it is perfectly natural to do so.  But we serve a super-natural God, and we have a super-natural calling.  We must move past just the natural, and reach higher than that.

King David understood this principle.  His life was not an easy one, and many of his Psalms were written from places of fear, frustration, and brokenness.

But even though he may not have always felt like praising the LORD, David knew that God is always worthy of praise, and so when his heart or his head weren’t really into worshipping that day, he took an unusual approach: he ordered his soul to smarten up.

“Why are you downcast, O my soul?  Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” (Ps 42:5-6)

When David was having a bad day, and when the trials were overwhelming, and when worship was not easily or naturally flowing from his heart, he simply informed his soul that it was going to worship God whether it “felt like it” or not.  And from that place of honour, some of the most beautiful declarations of worship that have ever been penned came, as David lifted his voice to His God and praised Him for who He is.

When we take the time to worship and properly set Jesus in His place as Lord of our lives, it reminds of us Who is in charge, and of Who holds our days in His hands (Ps 139:16).  As if just the privilege of worshipping our worthy Saviour wasn’t enough, we also get the privilege of His blessings that come upon us when we do so.  The trials will happen whether we worship Him or not, but it surely is better to walk through a trial feeling the nearness of God, rather than doing it without Him.  As we draw near to Him in worship, He will draw near to us, and that is going to make all the difference in the world.