Paul’s Secret – Br. David Vryhof

Br. David Vryhof

Acts 16:16-34                        

Something unusual happens to me every time I read this story from Acts chapter 16.  In some ways it’s an odd story, featuring a slave woman who is possessed by a spirit that enables her to predict the future.  Two thousand years removed from the story and its setting, we wonder what this description could mean.  It’s hard to know for sure what troubled her.  It poses an interesting question, but that isn’t the part of the story that grabs my attention.  

The slave woman follows Paul and Silas around town, calling out to anyone who will listen that “these people are servants of the Most High God” and that “they are proclaiming a way of salvation to you.”  She is speaking the truth, though Paul is unwilling to acknowledge it as truth because it is prompted by an evil spirit.  She harasses them for several days until Paul has finally had enough. He stops, turns to her, and rebukes the demon that possesses her.  She is instantly healed.  The miracle demonstrates the power of God at work in these early apostles, the same power that was at work in their Lord.  It poses the question of how that same power might be available to us, but even this isn’t the part of the story that grabs me by surprise and causes me to wonder.  

The healing annoys the woman’s owners, who have lost a convenient source of income, and they turn against Paul and Silas.  They seize them and drag them before the local authorities with the accusation that they are “causing an uproar” in the city.  The crowd joins in on the attack against Paul and Silas, which compels the authorities to order that they be stripped of their clothing and beaten.  Accused and found guilty without a trial, they are “severely beaten,” thrown into prison, with their legs secured in chains. 

And then there is this line: “Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God…”  And that is what grabs me in this story.  Every time. I’m always surprised by that line. I find myself thinking, “How can that be?”  Unjustly accused by greedy men, seized upon by a crowd, hauled before the authorities, severely beaten, thrown into a first-century prison, bloodied and in pain, publically humiliated and soundly defeated, their legs locked in irons… and then: “Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God.”  How is that possible?  Who would be singing hymns to God in those circumstances?  I try to imagine myself in their place.  I wonder if this would have been my response. 

What is Paul’s secret?  What enables him to praise and thank God in the most difficult of circumstances?  From what deep place in his heart is he drawing this strength?  What enables him to sing and to worship in such trying conditions?

I’ve thought about this and here’s what I’ve come up with:  I think what we’re seeing here reveals Paul’s true identity.  Our identity, what we truly believe about ourselves, expresses itself in our words and actions.  And it seems clear to me that Paul’s sense of himself has nothing to do with accomplishments or achievements or success; it does not depend on any external factor.  In his letter to the Philippians, Paul acknowledges that there was a time when he was enamored by the marks of success.  He writes that at one time he had it all: he was from a reputable family, he had received a top-notch education from one of the leading educators of his time, he was passionate about his faith and lived it with a zeal that impressed both his peers and his elders, he was popular and acclaimed by all.  In short, he had it all. (Phil. 3:4-6)

Until he met Jesus.  And his life was changed completely.  From that moment on, all of the marks of status, all of his achievements, all the respect and admiration he had won, became as nothing to him.  “I wrote them all off as a loss for the sake of Christ,” he tells the Philippians.  “I consider everything a loss in comparison with the superior value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” (Phil. 3:7-9a)  From that moment on, Paul’s identity was hidden in Christ.  He recognized that he was no longer his own; that he had been bought with a price.

The great French monastic and martyr, Charles de Foucauld, once said, “As soon as I believed there was a God, I realized that I could do nothing else but live for him alone.”[i]  The same was true of Paul.

But can you see the freedom that this new identity gives him?  He no longer has to curry favor from the rich and powerful; he no longer has to please or impress; he no longer has to strive to be ‘successful’ in the eyes of others.  All this, he says, he counts as “refuse” – as “sewer trash” (as one translation puts it).  Now he is a new creation in Christ.  The old has passed away; all things have been made new.

Have you known this kind of freedom?  Freedom from the tyranny of having to achieve what the world measures as success?  The freedom of not having to be better or stronger or more attractive or more talented or wealthier or more popular in order to be counted as worthy?  This is the ‘glorious freedom’ of the children of God and it comes from knowing that we are unconditionally loved by God.  Always.  Paul knows this freedom.  He has cast aside the marks of worldly success and embraced the truth that he is a new creation in Christ.  All things have been make new.

Paul has one purpose for being in the world and that is to proclaim Christ.  He lives for this.  He writes to the Philippians from jail, and tells them that he is pleased to be in prison because the word is spreading, people are hearing about Jesus.  He has suffered countless hardships, but they have been nothing to him in comparison to the joy he has found in Jesus.  

“Who will separate us from Christ’s love?” he asks the Roman Christians, “Will we be separated by trouble, or distress, or harassment, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?” No, he says, “I am convinced that nothingcan separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus our Lord; not death or life, not angels or rulers, not present things or future things, not powers or height or depth, or any other thing that is created.” (Rom 8:35-39)

As a beloved child of God, Paul knows the perfect freedom of belonging to God: “You didn’t receive a spirit of slavery to lead you back again into fear,” he reminds the Christians at Rome, “you received a Spirit that shows you are adopted as his children… if we are children, we are also heirs.  We are God’s heirs and fellow heirs with Christ…” (Rom. 8:15-17) 

It is this knowledge – that he belongs to Christ and is unconditionally and forever loved by God – that gives him the boldness and courage to take the risks that he does.  He is like a tree with deep roots, roots that give him a stability and steadfastness that enable him to withstand all kinds of challenges, setbacks and disappointments without giving up or becoming discouraged.  He has an unshakeable faith that he is God’s, and this faith holds firm even in the storms and tempests of his life.

Perhaps this is why he can encourage the Christians at Philippi to “rejoice always,” as we see him and his companion rejoicing here in a first-century prison cell after having been beaten and abused.  “Rejoice always” – because you belong to God, because you are deeply and irrevocably loved by God, because there is nothing in all the world that can ever separate you from God, because you are God’s beloved child, a fellow heir with Christ of all that God is and possesses.

When you are facing life’s trials, when life seems to be an uphill battle, when you fear being overwhelmed by fear or worry or grief, recall this image of Paul and Silas, beaten and bloodied, locked in chains, singing and praising God!  This joy can be yours as well. This freedom belongs to you as a child of God.  Nothing can destroy it or take it away from you.  You are, and always will be, the beloved of God.

Send down your roots into this deep soil, so that when trouble comes, you can remain steadfast and unmovable, knowing that God always has the final word. And rejoice.  Always and everywhere.  No matter what circumstance you find yourself in.  Trust God’s power and love.  Easter is Love’s Victory over evil and death; all fear is washed away. You! – yes, you! – are a beloved child of God.

“See what love the Father has given us,” exclaims the author of First John, “that we should be called the children of God, and that is what we are!” (NRSV) Alleluia!

Note: Except where otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from the Common English Bible, ©2010. 


[i]Quoted by Jean-Francois Six in his book Witness in the Desert: The Life of Charles de Foucauld, MacMillan Press, 1965, p. 28.

Support SSJE


Please support the Brothers work.
The brothers of SSJE rely on the inspired kindness of friends to sustain our life and our work. We are grateful for the prayers and support provided to us.

Click here to Donate

16 Comments

  1. Gail on April 18, 2023 at 08:36

    YES! Thank you so much. I know this, it’s my experience, but you have explained it so beautifully, confirmed for me what it is and how it is. I haven’t really understood it, just noticed it curiously from time to time, so this your word on it has blessed me enormously. Bless you.

  2. Laban on April 18, 2023 at 00:34

    It’s great to learn a gain that the Worldly measure of success is not important in my Christian walk.
    Thank David.

  3. Gresh Lattimore on May 2, 2022 at 11:51

    “Send down your roots into this deep soil, so that when trouble comes, you can remain steadfast and unmovable…” What a great comment, Br David! Sometimes I feel that I’m not living deeply enough into my Faith, just going through the motions or just not fully engaged. But even these seemingly lax or even a bit disinterested times are sinking my roots deeper into this soil foundation, little by little. Times of trouble will always find us, but by our daily devotions of one sort or the other will provide us the strength we need when we need it. And that is the joy of our Faith! Gresh Lattimore

  4. John G. on May 2, 2022 at 08:26

    I was discouraged about a challenge I had taken on which is to help a group of educated people find meaning in the Holy Scriptures. Then, I read this sermon as a direct message from God who loves me no matter whether I can illuminate the Bible for this group of nice people or not. God already loves me no matter how well or poorly I perform. Of course, I’ll do the best job I can and work to prepare, but I won’t worry about failure if have done my best. I’ll leave the results up to God who owns all our efforts. And I’ll praise God with a joyful heart just as Paul and Silas did because God loves each and every one of us all without reservation. Thank you, Brother David, for your very timely message.

  5. marta engdahl on May 22, 2021 at 10:11

    This is such a rich passage, looking ahead, looking behind, and looking inward. This I must do, now and always.

  6. Patr on April 17, 2020 at 21:26

    David’s comment above is “spot on” We do not have to worry about “performance Based”
    acceptance. I will remember this and be FREE

    Thank you,Brother David, too.

    • Lynette Hansen on May 2, 2022 at 09:01

      This is an amazing writing based on what was my late husband’s favorite bible verse! I loved reading every word!
      Many thanks to Brither David! ????????????

  7. David on April 16, 2020 at 22:11

    Only recently as I was reading a vignette in one of my daily devotionals did I finally realize that because of what Christ has done for me I no longer live in a performance-based acceptance. That because of Christ, I am accepted in unconditional love and mercy, through God’s grace. And now I too can understand why / how Paul and Silas could sing and praise God after having been so badly treated. I have found great help in the Serenity Prayer and only since I have come to see that I am truly loved unconditionally have I also found the ability to accept the things I cannot change with serenity. Thank you, Brother David

  8. Sally Baynton on April 16, 2020 at 17:22

    I LOVE this story; so I love this sermon! Paul and Silas are in a dismal situation, yet they chose to praise God for all things. In so doing, they offered the jailer AND his family salvation. I don’t know how many people that was, but I suspect it was a few. I can only pray that God would use me to offer another person/persons the precious gift of salvation. Not for my sake, but for their sake! Thank you, Brother David, for helping me see this story again with a new lens.

  9. Pamela Post- Ferrante on April 16, 2020 at 11:03

    Brother David,
    I love this sermon and understand it better from this vantage of pandemic sheltering. I will try to go through this while day rejoicing.
    Thank you,
    Pamela

  10. Bryan Cook on April 16, 2020 at 10:52

    A good message, but it does beg the question of how we can physically sustain ourselves while giving away our possessions. Paul relied on the largesse of others, which may have been easier then when giving hospitality to strangers was a social norm ( one which even my grandmother practiced for hobos to share the night fire). It is different these days….and the social net is already stretched to its limits.

  11. Elizabeth Clifford on April 16, 2020 at 10:43

    Just what I needed today, Br. David!
    Discomfort and distress were edging closer to my soul, but, thanks be to God, the Spirit guided me toward reclaiming the joy of which you write so eloquently. Thank you!

  12. Michael Anderson on April 16, 2020 at 10:03

    Thank you Brother for your Easter Message. How appropriate it is for this day of social distancing

  13. Lee Graham on April 16, 2020 at 09:15

    Thank you Br David Vryhoff,
    Yes! Indeed! Nothing can ever separate us from the love of God! More important than SELF esteem or WORLD esteem is GOD esteem. Knowing that God loves us just as we are, whether or not we are good for something or nothing. When the road is long and all hope seems gone, when we are feeling forlorn, praise the Lord! Hallelujah!

  14. Alicia on June 9, 2019 at 12:14

    It is interesting that being close to death we finally acknowledge the freedom we were given all along. From my own experience after being diagnosed with cancer I finally was able to live in the freedom Christ promised because I finally realized that life is short and you have to take every opportunity to bring glory to God. Another monastic, Benedict, advices his monks to keep death daily before their eyes. Such wisdom! The paradox of life is that freedom comes when we realize that we’re at death’s door. I don’t know I would have received this freedom, had I not experienced death close at hand. But I totally get why Paul & Silas were singing their praises in jail: they had nothing to lose anyway, so throw out all our (often self-imposed) walls and truly live like there’s no tomorrow and that includes praising God here on earth while you can.

    • SusanMarie on April 16, 2020 at 08:37

      With due respect and compassion for your cancer diagnosis, it’s important to remember that there are many ways to be close to death. For me, living in the freedom of Christ came out of self-hate from a very young age, being emotionally beaten and battered by “loved ones” and “friends”, until I was emotionally and spiritually broken and brought to my knees—literally and figuratively. I was dying inside. The long journey—with God’s help—to emotional sobriety and spiritual healing came with the understanding that my comfort in this life, my joy, happiness, and fulfillment, would and could only come from God, not the approval or even kindness and love from other people. Nothing I owned, how I looked, my education, where I lived, my successes (nor that of my husband or children), etc., would or could make any real difference in my life, nor would it save me from worldly torment. Letting my roots go deep into the soil of God’s Love and promise to always be with me, understanding that everything else was a mere idol or a fleeting worldly comfort, and finally discovering my True Self in God alone is what saved me from death and brought authentic joy into my life. Everything else is truly “sewer trash”. I now live (mostly) in freedom. I do not fear others and how they may want to mistreat me. I appreciate those who sincerely love me, but I know that the only true love comes from God. I no longer hate myself because I finally understand what it means to be a child of God, and that can never be taken from me. Now I am a new creation in Christ, and all things have been made new. And now I rejoice. Alleluia!

Leave a Comment