(Selected)

When in sorrow, call John 14.

When men fail you, call Psalm 27.

If you want to be fruitful, call John 15.

When you have sinned, call Psalm 51.

When you worry, call Matthew 6:19-34.

When you are in danger, call Psalm 91.

When God seems far away, call Psalm 139.

When your faith needs stirring, call Hebrews 11.

When you are lonely and fearful, call Psalm 23.

When you grow bitter and critical, call I Corinthians 13.

For Paul's secret to happiness, call Colossians 3:12-17.

For understanding of Christianity, call II Corinthians 5:15-19.

When you feel down and out, call Romans 8:31.

When you want peace and rest, call Matthew 11:25-30.

When the world seems bigger than God, call Psalm 90.

When you want Christian assurance, call Romans 8:1-30.

When you leave home for labor or travel, call Psalm 121.

When your prayers grow narrow or selfish, call Psalm 67.

For a great invention/opportunity, call Isaiah 55.

When you want courage for a task, call Joshua 1.

For how to get along with fellow men, call Romans 12.

When you think of investments and returns, call Mark 10.

If you are depressed, call Psalm 27.

If your pocketbook is empty, call Psalm 37.

If you are losing confidence in people, call I Corinthians 13.

If people seem unkind, call John 15.

If discouraged about your work, call Psalm 126.

If you find the world growing small and yourself great, call Psalm 19.

For dealing with fear, call Psalm 34:7.

For security, call Psalm 121:3.

For assurance, call Mark 8:35.

For reassurance, call Psalm 145:18.

Emergency numbers may be dialed direct. No operator assistance is necessary. All lines to Heaven are open 24 hours a day! Feed your faith, and doubt will starve to death!

God Is Faithful - Even In Philippi

(Kent Heaton)

On the way to prayer one day, Paul and his company were followed by a young girl with a spirit of divination. She cries out, "These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation." (Acts 16:17) This went on day after day until Paul became weary of her presence and he cast out the evil spirit. There would be little doubt of the joy felt by the young girl that her life is no longer bound by the forces of the evil spirit. Nothing is said of her again in scripture but what she was about to see must have troubled her.

In a world given to depravity and despair, certain men had used the girl and her tormented soul for their own profit. Realizing they could no longer make money from her misery, they lashed out at Paul and Silas. They laid hands on these two men and dragged them to the marketplace to the authorities. They told the authorities, "These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city; and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe."

The reaction of the crowd was immediate and violent. They took hold of Paul and Silas, tore their clothes from their bodies, bound them up and beat them with many stripes with rods. In a wild frenzy filled with prejudice and hatred, two men were beaten for helping a young girl.

Gareth L. Reese (New Testament History - A critical and exegetical commentary on the book of Acts, page 585) writes: "Luke seems to be telling us that the punishment was more severe than usual. A word needs to be said here about the difference between Roman and Jewish 'beatings.' The Jews used a leather whip and were not allowed to inflict more than 40 stripes. The Romans used a rod (similar in size to a present-day broom stick or hoe handle), and there was no limit to the number of blows that could be struck. Such treatment would leave a man lacerated and bleeding."

Luke does not record anything about the reaction of Paul and Silas until later when in prison they are "praying and singing hymns to God." (v25) As the jailer lashed their feet into the stocks and bound their hands with iron, Paul and Silas reflect on the events of the last few days and hours.

Arriving in Philippi, they had found great rejoicing as on the Sabbath day they met a woman who would change their lives. Her name was Lydia and she had been at the riverside, where prayer was customarily made. The disciples of Christ rejoiced in her obedience as well as her household. They were even more filled with gratitude when she constrained them to stay at her house. Now from prison they think about this day, as they were going about spreading the good news of Jesus Christ.

The girl they had met on the day they were going to prayer had become a bother and finally Paul had had enough. He cast the spirit out of her and thought that would end the trouble. In such a little time, he and Silas had been dragged to the marketplace, attacked and beaten and thrown into the inner part of the prison. This was the place they put condemned people and even carried out executions in this part of the prison. They were treated roughly by the guards and the jailer who had been given a charge to keep them securely.

When the dust settled and Paul and Silas caught their breath, they looked about in the darkness and thought, "What a day this has been." Their spirits were not defeated by the vicious acts of the crowd nor did they lay charge to God for their plight. They prayed to God and began to sing psalms of praise to God.

From the inner belly of a chamber of horror came the joyful noise of two men who loved the Lord and praised Him for being their God. They had come to this part of the world because of a vision of a man pleading with them, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." (Acts 16:9) They answered the call and found great rejoicing as Lydia and her household obeyed the gospel. But now they sat in prison, their backs searing with pain from the beatings and muscles sore from the handling of the multitude - and prayed and sang praise to God. This all happened because they helped a little girl out of her misery and despair.

Could they know an earthquake would come and release them from their bonds of prison and then release the bonds of sin upon the man who imprisoned them? Could they know the joy of the tender care extended to them by the jailer and his household as they "washed their stripes?" The journeys to Philippi had begun with so much promise and then turn into such a horrible day. But the Macedonian call was to come and help and even in prison, Paul and Silas found a way to help a man in need.

Our lives are filled with journeys to Philippi. We find joy in meeting people like Lydia and her household. It may be that when we seek to do good to others that we receive the hand of prejudice and hatred. Life may take a terrible turn and we find ourselves in the inner prison of despair and hopelessness. Paul and Silas tell us to remember that when life is the most difficult, sing and pray and be thankful.

God does not tell us what will happen next. He may send an earthquake and shake things up even more. Out of the darkest troubles we may find people like the jailer who saw our faith in God - and they too come to salvation. Then we can go on our way rejoicing that God was faithful - even in Philippi.