“As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.”
Proverbs 27:17 NLT
Acts 16 is the story of Paul’s second mission trip inspired by a dream he had of a man standing and begging him to come to Macedonia. Paul had chosen a follower named Silas to accompany him on this trip following a conflict with Barnabas. As they traveled through Philippi, they were taunted by a fortune-teller, yelling out that “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.” After several days Paul became annoyed with the woman and commanded the spirit in possession of her to leave in Jesus’ name. This upset her owners, as she was a slave and source of money for them, so they dragged Paul and Silas to the authorities who beat them and imprisoned them. As they were in prison, we read that instead of sulking, they began to pray and worship God. It was then that an earthquake occurred, the prison doors flew open, and their shackles loosened. And as the jailer was prepared to kill himself, for he had believed he let the prisoners escape, Paul and Silas called out for him, taught him and his household the good news of Jesus Christ, and baptized all of them that very night!
So why was Silas chosen for this trip? The Bible tells us in other places that Silas was a leader among brothers, a prophet, and an encouraging speaker. Peter called Silas faithful, and we see later in this story that he was also a Roman citizen like Paul, which meant he would have been free to travel with Paul in this region. With all of this in mind, it’s not hard to conclude that God knew the journey, the circumstances that Paul would be walking into, so He provided Silas, a man with great character, to give Paul the encouragement and strength he would need to see God through the mess.
The question for today is “Who’s your Silas?”
Do you have that person in your life that is encouraging and has your back, that will stand in the gap and worship and pray with you? Are you speaking life into and praying over other men of God? If not, let me encourage you to begin finding that person, a brother in Jesus who will always be your source of strength and encouragement just like Silas was for Paul.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, you knew the struggles that Paul and Silas were walking into. You knew that they would be punished for obeying You. Yet, even in their struggle, they worshiped You and brought Your Gospel to a man and His family who desperately needed it. Give me discernment to find a friend, a brother who can help me just as Silas was there for Paul. Help me to continually pushes my friends closer to Christ as they do so for me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Extra Reading
“Then Judas and Silas, both being prophets, spoke at length to the believers, encouraging and strengthening their faith.”
Acts 15:32 NLT
“I have written and sent this short letter to you with the help of Silas,[a] whom I commend to you as a faithful brother … “
1 Peter 5:12
All of Acts 16
