Welcome to this Daily PBJ devotional. Read Numbers 17 and 18, Isaiah 41, and Acts 16 today. This devotional is about Acts 16. Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where he found a disciple named Timothy, the son of a believing Jewish woman and a Greek father. The brothers in Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, so he took him and circumcised him on account of the Jews in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they went from town to town, they delivered the decisions handed down by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers. After the Holy Spirit had prevented them from speaking the word in the province of Asia, they traveled through the region of Phrygia and Galatia. And when they came to the border of Mycenae, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not permit them. So they passed by Mycenae and went down to Troas. During the night, Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia, standing and pleading with him, Come over to Macedonia and help us. As soon as Paul had seen the vision, we got ready to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. We sailed from Troas straight to Samothrace, and the following day on to Neapolis. From there we went to the Roman colony of Philippi, the leading city of that district of Macedonia, and we stayed there several days. On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate. along the river, where it was customary to find a place of prayer. After sitting down, we spoke to the women who had gathered there. Among those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshipper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message, and when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house. And she persuaded us. One day, as we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl with a spirit of divination, who earned a large income for her masters by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, These men are servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation. She continued this for many days. Eventually, Paul grew so aggravated that he turned and said to the Spirit, In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to come out of her. And the Spirit left her at that very moment. When the girls' owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas, and dragged them before the authorities in the marketplace. They brought them to the magistrates, and said, These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into turmoil, by promoting customs that are unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice. The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered that they be stripped and beaten with rods. And after striking them with many blows, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to guard them securely. On receiving this order, he placed them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly, a strong earthquake shook the foundations of the prison. At once, all the doors flew open, and everyone's chains came loose. When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, presuming that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul called out in a loud voice, Do not harm yourself. We are all here. Calling for lights, the jailer rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and asked, Sirs, What must I do to be saved? They replied, Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household. Then Paul and Silas spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds, and without delay he and all his household were baptized. Then he brought them into his home, and set a meal before them. So he and all his household rejoiced that they had come to believe in God. When daylight came, the magistrates sent their officers with the order, Release those men. The jailer informed Paul, The magistrates have sent orders to release you. Now you may go on your way in peace. But Paul said to the officers, They beat us publicly without a trial, and threw us into prison, even though we are Roman citizens. And now, do they want to send us away secretly? Absolutely not. Let them come themselves and escort us out. So the officers relayed this message to the magistrates, who were alarmed to hear that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. They came to appease them and led them out, requesting that they leave the city. After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia's house to see the brothers and encourage them. Then they left the city. This is God's word. Paul's second missionary journey got off to a great start. On one of his early stops, he met Timothy, who became a trusted fellow servant and a dear friend. We saw that in verses 1 through 3 today. And God was blessing each stop on his journey with spiritual and salvation growth, according to verses 4 and 5. Then God directed Paul and Silas away from where they intended to go and into Greece, which is called Macedonia. We saw that in verses 6 through 12. At first, things started off great there, too. In the city of Philippi, after Lydia became a believer, she gave these missionaries a place to stay according to verses 13-15. But then Paul and Silas liberated a woman from the demons that had possessed her, according to verses 16-18, and things changed quickly and drastically. The woman who had been demon-possessed was a big moneymaker for others. Now that her powers were gone, her spiritual pimps wanted revenge. So they pressed charges against Paul and Silas, accusing them of inciting a riot. We saw that in verses 19 through 21. As a result of the criminal charges against them, Paul and Silas were stripped and beaten with rods. Those are the words of the NIV in verse 22b. And they were severely flogged and thrown into prison. And again, those are the words of the NIV from verses 22b through 23a. I don't think my reaction to these circumstances would have been very happy if I were in them. But instead of being dragged down emotionally, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God according to verse 25. God worked miraculously and saved the jailer in verses 26 through 34. And then God worked providentially and had Paul and Silas released according to verses 35 through 40. So it seems clear that the bad treatment these men received was both to teach them to trust God and to bring salvation to the Philippian jailer. The painful, unpleasant circumstances that they endured were part of God's plan. James chapter 1 commands us to consider it pure joy when we encounter trials of many kinds. Paul and Silas practiced that truth, and God used them. Are you facing a trial? A difficult time in your life? An unexpected setback after a period of good spiritual growth and blessing? Choose to sing God's praises and glorify Him while waiting to see how He wants to use you in that circumstance. 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