Have you ever wondered what would have happened to Paul and Silas if they had not chosen to rejoice during that dark night in prison? In view of their circumstances, they could have sat back and complained. But in this story, we see that the power of rejoicing in suffering is great and glorious! When we rejoice, we invite God’s presence into a situation. When we do this, not only are we set free, but those around us are set free as well!
To rejoice in suffering and persecution is not a natural response to us. But the good news is, this response is natural to Jesus! This is the way He responds, and this is how He will respond through us if we allow Him to. When trials come, God calls us to step into Jesus’ supernatural response and respond with rejoicing. In this, our display of joy in trials is how we can showcase Jesus’s life to the world!