Daily Worship (April 13)
Devotional 1: When Prayer Starts a Movement
Acts 16:13-14 (NIV)
13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.
Devotional Thought
Prayer doesn’t always start with loud crowds or fancy words. Sometimes, it’s just a few faithful people gathering by a river. In Philippi, Paul and his team went looking for a place of prayer, and they found a group of women—ordinary, faithful, and praying. One of them was Lydia, a successful businesswoman who already worshiped God, but hadn’t yet heard the good news of Jesus. God used that quiet riverside prayer time to do something amazing—He opened Lydia’s heart to the gospel. And that moment helped spark the church in Philippi.
This reminds us that God’s work in a city doesn’t start with big buildings or budgets. It starts with prayer and open hearts. When we pray, we’re doing more than just talking to God—we’re stepping into His mission. Like Paul and Lydia, we become part of how God brings His kingdom to earth.
Your prayers matter. They may feel small, but God is always listening. And just like that riverside meeting, you never know when a prayer will lead to someone’s heart being opened.
COMMA Questions
Prayer
Lord, thank You for listening when we pray. Help us to be faithful in prayer, even when it feels small. Use our prayers to open hearts in our homes, neighborhoods, and city. Help us believe that You still move through prayer, just like You did with Lydia. In Jesus’ name, amen.
13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.
Devotional Thought
Prayer doesn’t always start with loud crowds or fancy words. Sometimes, it’s just a few faithful people gathering by a river. In Philippi, Paul and his team went looking for a place of prayer, and they found a group of women—ordinary, faithful, and praying. One of them was Lydia, a successful businesswoman who already worshiped God, but hadn’t yet heard the good news of Jesus. God used that quiet riverside prayer time to do something amazing—He opened Lydia’s heart to the gospel. And that moment helped spark the church in Philippi.
This reminds us that God’s work in a city doesn’t start with big buildings or budgets. It starts with prayer and open hearts. When we pray, we’re doing more than just talking to God—we’re stepping into His mission. Like Paul and Lydia, we become part of how God brings His kingdom to earth.
Your prayers matter. They may feel small, but God is always listening. And just like that riverside meeting, you never know when a prayer will lead to someone’s heart being opened.
COMMA Questions
- Context: What’s happening right before this passage, and why is Paul in Philippi?
- Observation: Who is Lydia, and what do we learn about her background?
- Meaning: What does it mean that “the Lord opened her heart”?
- Main Idea: How does God use prayer to start His work in people’s lives?
- Application: How can you build prayer into your daily life, even in quiet or simple ways?
Prayer
Lord, thank You for listening when we pray. Help us to be faithful in prayer, even when it feels small. Use our prayers to open hearts in our homes, neighborhoods, and city. Help us believe that You still move through prayer, just like You did with Lydia. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Devotional 2: When Pain Brings Glory
Acts 16:22-24 (NIV)
22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
Devotional Thought
Sometimes doing what’s right comes with a cost. Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown into prison—not because they did something wrong, but because they were sharing the gospel. They helped a slave girl get free from a demonic spirit, and her owners got angry because they lost money. This is a painful truth: the gospel brings change, and not everyone wants change.
But here’s the beautiful part—Paul and Silas didn’t quit. They didn’t complain. They praised God in prison. God used their pain to show the jailer and the prisoners what real hope looks like.
Pain in the Christian life isn’t random. God can use it to bring healing, freedom, and transformation—not just for us, but for others too. Whether you face rejection, loss, or hardship, remember: God wastes nothing. In Christ, pain becomes part of His plan to change the world from the inside out.
COMMA Questions:
Prayer:
Father, it’s hard to suffer for doing what’s right. But we trust You. Use our pain to show others Your love. Help us stay strong like Paul and Silas, and remember that every sacrifice made for You is never wasted. In Jesus’ name, amen.
22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
Devotional Thought
Sometimes doing what’s right comes with a cost. Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown into prison—not because they did something wrong, but because they were sharing the gospel. They helped a slave girl get free from a demonic spirit, and her owners got angry because they lost money. This is a painful truth: the gospel brings change, and not everyone wants change.
But here’s the beautiful part—Paul and Silas didn’t quit. They didn’t complain. They praised God in prison. God used their pain to show the jailer and the prisoners what real hope looks like.
Pain in the Christian life isn’t random. God can use it to bring healing, freedom, and transformation—not just for us, but for others too. Whether you face rejection, loss, or hardship, remember: God wastes nothing. In Christ, pain becomes part of His plan to change the world from the inside out.
COMMA Questions:
- Context: What happened right before Paul and Silas were arrested?
- Observation: How does the crowd react to Paul and Silas, and what punishment do they receive?
- Meaning: What does this passage tell us about the cost of following Jesus?
- Main Idea: How can God use our pain as part of His mission?
- Application: Are there any areas where you’ve experienced hardship for doing good? How might God use that?
Prayer:
Father, it’s hard to suffer for doing what’s right. But we trust You. Use our pain to show others Your love. Help us stay strong like Paul and Silas, and remember that every sacrifice made for You is never wasted. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Devotional 3: When God Builds a Covenant People
Acts 16:33-34 (NIV)
33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.
Devotional Thought
Something amazing happened in the jail that night. A man who was once far from God—rough, hardened, and ready to take his own life—was brought into a relationship with Jesus. The jailer believed, and as the covenant head of his household, he led his whole family into a new relationship with God.
In the Bible, God doesn’t just deal with individuals—He works through families. That’s what we see with Abraham in the Old Testament. Abraham believed, and God brought his whole household into the covenant and gave them the sign—circumcision. Here in Acts, the pattern continues. The jailer believes, and his whole household is baptized, just like Lydia’s household earlier in the chapter.
This doesn’t mean every person in the household already had personal faith—but it does mean they were welcomed into the covenant community. Just like in a family today, kids may not fully understand faith yet, but they can still belong to God’s people, learn His Word, and grow up in His promises. That’s part of the beauty of the church—it’s not just a gathering of individuals, but a spiritual family God builds through covenant love.
COMMA Questions
Prayer
Lord, thank You for building Your church through families, promises, and grace. Help us trust Your covenant love, and teach us to care for the next generation in our homes and church. Use us to pass down faith, hope, and joy as we follow You together. In Jesus’ name, amen.
33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.
Devotional Thought
Something amazing happened in the jail that night. A man who was once far from God—rough, hardened, and ready to take his own life—was brought into a relationship with Jesus. The jailer believed, and as the covenant head of his household, he led his whole family into a new relationship with God.
In the Bible, God doesn’t just deal with individuals—He works through families. That’s what we see with Abraham in the Old Testament. Abraham believed, and God brought his whole household into the covenant and gave them the sign—circumcision. Here in Acts, the pattern continues. The jailer believes, and his whole household is baptized, just like Lydia’s household earlier in the chapter.
This doesn’t mean every person in the household already had personal faith—but it does mean they were welcomed into the covenant community. Just like in a family today, kids may not fully understand faith yet, but they can still belong to God’s people, learn His Word, and grow up in His promises. That’s part of the beauty of the church—it’s not just a gathering of individuals, but a spiritual family God builds through covenant love.
COMMA Questions
- Context: What has just happened in the jail, and why is the jailer’s response significant?
- Observation: Who receives baptism in this passage, and what happens afterward?
- Meaning: What does it mean that the whole household is baptized even though only the jailer is said to believe?
- Main Idea: How does God build His church through households and covenant relationships?
- Application: How can you honor and strengthen the faith of your family or church family today?
Prayer
Lord, thank You for building Your church through families, promises, and grace. Help us trust Your covenant love, and teach us to care for the next generation in our homes and church. Use us to pass down faith, hope, and joy as we follow You together. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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