Good out of evil

In Acts 16 we see an evil perpetrated against Paul. He is in Philippi preaching the good news of Jesus Christ. As he does this a woman with an evil spirit begins to follow him around declaring that he is a servant of the Most High God. Though what the woman said was true, Paul did not need this kind of publicity. So....in the name of Jesus Christ he demands the spirit come out of the woman, and it does.

This turn of events was not well received by those who were making profit from this woman. So these merchants stirred up trouble, leading to Paul and his companions being beaten, thrown in prison, and placed in stocks. All of this evil was done to them even though they were Roman citizens to which such things were forbidden by law.

Now how would Paul and company respond? Would their spirit get embittered? Would they question God, declaring that they didn't deserve such treatment since they were "serving the Lord"? Would their hearts be full of hate for those who did this to them? The Scripture account is clear that they chose none of these options. Instead they were found in the prison praying and singing hymns to God.

This fact should not be overlooked because what happened next might never have happened if they responded differently to their circumstances. During the evening God performs a miracle, releasing the men from their stocks and throwing open the prison doors. But the greater miracle that God performed is that God used this situation to save the jailer and his family. Somehow God used this evil situation and turned it into good.

All of us will be confronted with evil situations in our life. We may be mistreated by someone. We may be spoken against, cheated of our resources, given the raw end of the deal. The key to each of these situations is not that they happen to us, but how we respond to them. Paul and company sat in their prison praying and singing hymns to God. I have to believe this was central to God turning these evil situation into something that produced great good.

The next time you are in a difficult situation or are the "victim" of evil, make sure you respond as Paul and his companions. Don't react to the situation. Remember that God is still on the throne and that He is the master of bringing good out of evil. That's what the cross is all about. There can not be any event more filled with evil than the cross, yet look at the immense good that flowed and still flows from it.

So the next time you are confronted with evil, start by praying and singing hymns to the Lord (praising Him), and then look for the Lord to bring good out of the evil situation. Don't be like those who miss out on God's modern day miracles because they don't have God's perspective on these things. May God use us all as His vessels of good in this present evil age.