Acts 16:19, 23-25 ESV
“But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers.  And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. 

Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them…”

Paul and Silas were spreading the gospel, doing good works, they even cast a demon out of a young lady. Iinstead of the crowd honoring them, they beat them unmercifully and then they through them in prison.

While Paul and Silas sat in the lower dungeon, on a cold rock floor, chained between two guards, as their bodies were still realing from the pain, they began to sing praises to God.

I could stop right there and that would be an awesome testimony, but there is more. As Paul and Silas sang praises to God, because they felt honored to suffer for the name of Jesus, the other prisoners and jailers stopped and began listening to them sing.

I know in the lowest times of my life, praise and worship music has a way of stilling the heart, calming the fears, easing the inner pain. In this case, Paul and Silas may have worshipped to ease their own pain and glorifying God, but their worship also ended up easing the mental pain and suffering of others.

If our worship can help us and help others too, should we not worship out loud more?

Prayer:
Father, never let me hold back at worship, in the church or outside of the church. I pray I live my Christian life out loud, on purpose, with purpose.