Casey Serin, Flickr<\/figcaption><\/figure>The Apostles Peter and Paul both spent time in the hoosegow. While both were jailed for the sake of the Gospel, I find it interesting that they passed their time in different ways. Peter slept. Paul sang.<\/p>\nIn the first instance, as Luke records in Acts 12, Herod \u201claid violent hands\u201d upon the Christians. He killed James, the brother of John, and then jailed Peter. On the night Herod meant to do his worst, Peter slept in chains between two soldiers. When an angel appeared, he glowed bright and illuminated the cell. But Peter snoozed so soundly that the heavenly deliverer had to smack him to get his eyes open.<\/p>\n
In the second case, as Luke describes some four chapters later, an irksome and demon-possessed slave girl followed and harassed Paul and his company for several days. The irritated Paul had all he could tolerate and finally exorcised the demon, much to the chagrin of the girl\u2019s owners who turned a tidy profit from the demon\u2019s prognostications. The owners had Paul and his friends tossed behind bars for disturbing the peace. There in his cell, even though it was midnight, the manacled Paul sat up, alert and singing instead of drifting to sleep. Suddenly, an earthquake jarred the the jail open and loosed his shackles. <\/p>\n
In both instances, the circumstances were dire and, though deliverance was soon coming, the apostles had no way of knowing that the Lord would free them. After all, God didn\u2019t spare James or others like Stephen, whose death Paul assisted before his own conversion. But as different as their responses seem on the surface \u2014 one sleeping, the other singing \u2014 they are in fact strikingly similar. Both testify to their trust in God. The darkness of the circumstances failed to overshadow their faith and hope. <\/p>\n
\u201cGod disposes all things in divers ways,\u201d commented John Chrysostom. \u201cAnd \u2026 it is beautiful that Paul sings hymns, while here Peter was asleep\u201d (Homilies on Acts<\/em> 26). It is beautiful. When the circumstances of our lives turn sour and grim, we can sing or slumber. But however we express our particular and personal reactions to God\u2019s diverse providences, all that really matters is that we trust him.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Apostles Peter and Paul both spent time in the hoosegow. While both were jailed for the sake of the Gospel, I find it interesting that they passed their time in different ways. Peter slept. Paul sang. In the first instance, as Luke records in Acts 12, Herod \u201claid violent hands\u201d upon the Christians. He […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1270,"featured_media":2739,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[58,59,365,414,710],"class_list":["post-2678","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-theology","tag-apostle-paul","tag-apostle-peter","tag-john-chrysostom","tag-living-by-faith","tag-trust"],"yoast_head":"\n
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