Where is the heart in suffering?
What allures and arouses the heart we can't figure out
But it's the quickest way to account for what we prize and are most proud about - Beautiful Eulogy
Where does the heart go when confronted with disappointment, illness, frustration, shame, poverty, or loneliness? The inclinations of the heart provide a much clearer picture into our practical theology than our rational minds often care to admit. So when faced with trouble –is the Savior our first resource, or is it strategizing & controlling the situation, eating, seeking distraction, alcohol, exercising, or any number of other things? Even as I write this list, and think over the past few weeks, I am convicted how many times I have substituted broken cisterns for living water.
There are many examples throughout Scripture that speak positively of what Godly suffering looks like, including many poignant ones surrounding our Savior himself (try reading Psalm 22 and then the betrayal/crucifixion accounts), but today I will be looking at a selection from Acts 16. This passage details the conversion of the Philippian jailer – a quite remarkable story, all framed within the context of the incarceration and abuse of Paul and Silas.
Worship whilst suffering
In verses 20-25, the backdrop is set for what will culminate in the conversion of the jailer and his family. We see Paul and Silas being mobbed, beaten, and then bound in stocks deep within the prison. Now after such a day and abuse, it is quite remarkable how they spend their time: "About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them"(v.25). Their hearts are captured with Christ, and the hope of the Gospel, such that rather than giving way to sinful fear, they worship (publicly) the living God. Paul alludes to this same heart posture in his letter to the Philippians when he says "I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me"(4:12-13). If we have indeed been giving every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus, does not the greatness of this gift outweigh any earthly encumbrance? This is not to minimize or ignore the seriousness and terribleness of suffering – Scripture does not do this, and Paul elsewhere self-describes as suffering to the point of despairing of life itself (2 Cor. 1:8) –but rather to highlight the Godward, outward, worshipful focus of the heart in the midst of tribulation.
Compassion whilst suffering
The posture of our heart toward others is often a helpful gauge to see where we ultimately are looking for hope in the midst of suffering (or really at any time for that matter). Is the heart bent inward, or is it directed outward –first toward God, and then toward neighbor? For Paul and Silas, their faith uniquely shapes how they respond to the events that unfold, and their interactions are used by God to bring many to Christ. Verses 27-32 describe their interactions:
When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.”29 And the jailer[e] called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas.30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
If Paul and Silas's heart's looked inward for self preservation, this never would have happened. Keeping the jailer from committing suicide would be the last thing that they would do, and yet this is what Paul does. A heart focused in worship toward God is a heart that:
- Seeks the glory first and foremost of God
- Is equipped to be looking outward toward (and for) others
Even after such a terrible day of beatings and abuse, Paul is able to look beyond his own situation and have compassion on the jailer. There is no selfishness or anger, only genuine care for the physical (and spiritual) wellbeing of those around him. God uses the worshipping heart of Paul in the midst of great suffering to open doors for the gospel to go forth and save the lives of a man and his family. But it is really no wonder: Paul is modeling the Savior.
Where should the heart rest when suffering? Acts 16 provides a glimpse of the answer by displaying hearts so captured with Christ that they worship fervently and seek the good of others: both in un-ideal circumstances and at great personal cost. Where do our hearts rest when suffering? The question may often be uncomfortable to answer, but thanks be to God that in Christ, no matter what we find lurking in the darkest corners of our soul, if we are his child: his blood has paid for it (Rom. 8), and he hears and delivers when we cry to him (Ps. 107). Might His vast love provoke our hearts to worship and compassion – even as it did Paul and Silas.