It
seems to me that there are more annoyances than ever; pushy salesmen,
unwanted sales calls, deceiving emails and last (but not least)
opinion disguised as “news”. All this made me wonder: Can
anything “good” from all this? Immediately, a resounding NO
came to my mind. However, I can think of something from the Bible
where it did…
Acts
16 ( World
English Bible
)
Act 16:16, It happened, as we were going to prayer, that a certain
girl having a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters
much gain by fortune telling.
Act 16:17, Following Paul and us, she cried out, “These men are
servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us a way of
salvation!”
Act 16:18, She was doing this for many days. But Paul, becoming
greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in
the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” It came out that very
hour.
Act 16:19, But when her masters saw that the hope of their gain
was gone, they seized Paul and Silas, and dragged them into the
marketplace before the rulers.
Act 16:20, When they had brought them to the magistrates, they
said, “These men, being Jews, are agitating our city,
Act 16:21, and set forth customs which it is not lawful for us
to accept or to observe, being Romans.”
Act 16:22, The multitude rose up together against them, and the
magistrates tore their clothes off of them, and commanded them to be
beaten with rods.
Act 16:23, When they had laid many stripes on them, they threw
them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely,
Act 16:24, who, having received such a command, threw them into
the inner prison, and secured their feet in the stocks.
Act 16:25, But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing
hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.
Act 16:26, Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the
foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors
were opened, and everyone’s bonds were loosened.
Act 16:27, The jailer, being roused out of sleep and seeing the
prison doors open, drew his sword and was about to kill himself,
supposing that the prisoners had escaped.
Act 16:28, But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, “Don’t harm
yourself, for we are all here!”
Act 16:29, He called for lights and sprang in, and, fell down
trembling before Paul and Silas,
Act 16:30, and brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to
be saved?”
Act 16:31, They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and
you will be saved, you and your household.”
Act 16:32, They spoke the word of the Lord to him, and to all
who were in his house.
Act 16:33, He took them the same hour of the night, and washed
their stripes, and was immediately baptized, he and all his
household.
Act 16:34, He brought them up into his house, and set food
before them, and rejoiced greatly, with all his household, having
believed in God.
Act 16:35, But when it was day, the magistrates sent the sergeants,
saying, “Let those men go.”
Act 16:36, The jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The
magistrates have sent to let you go; now therefore come out, and go
in peace.”
Act 16:37, But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us
publicly, without a trial, men who are Romans, and have cast us into
prison! Do they now release us secretly? No, most certainly, but let
them come themselves and bring us out!”
Act 16:38, The sergeants reported these words to the
magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were
Romans,
Act 16:39, and they came and begged them. When they had brought
them out, they asked them to depart from the city.
Act 16:40, They went out of the prison, and entered into Lydia’s
house. When they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them, and
departed.
Now,
I don’t pretend to understand WHY Paul was so annoyed by the girl
with a spirit of divination, because she was telling the truth about
Paul, but eventually good came out of this. The Jailer was saved (and
his household) and all those prisoners were exposed to all the events
that transpired. More that these things, the magistrates who had
punished Paul and Silas and imprisoned them had to let them go. In
all these things God was eventually glorified.
God
works in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform. Believe it, because
its true!
As
for me, I am letting all my messages go to voice-mail!