Choose an Uncanny Road (2)_ Praise in Prison

Praise the Lord is “praising God,” and the Bible commands all living creatures to praise the Lord (Psalm 150:6). One Hebrew word for “praise” is yard, meaning “praise, give thanks, or confess.” A word “praise” in the Old Testament is Samar, “sing praise”, it is meaning “to praise, honor, or commend.” All contain the idea of giving thanks and honor to one who is worthy of praise. Praise the Lord is give up to God gratitude, respect, thankful, love, and the aspiration.

The author of Psalm 146 rushes to God with the purpose of "Praise the Lord" or "sing praise the Lord." The first verse he called his soul "praise the Lord," but in verse 2 he pledged " Praise the Lord" No parent wants his son to come to him as he pleases. God is our Heavenly Father, our omnipotent Father. Things we have not asked the Lord have known already. God wants us to come to God with gratitude. The author of Psalm promised with God that he would praise God forever. The phrase "All my life" and "As long as I live ... until" emphasizes his spirit of eternal praise. In verse 1 the author praises "Jehovah," which means that he praises a Creator, Almighty. But in verse 2 he praises God as "my God, expressing his personal relationship with God. God is his personal God, the one who blesses and protects him, and he has personal experience with God. He knows that God is a great God, but God Himself is a loving Father with him forever. From these experiences, he pledged to praise God for all his life.

Often everyone is singing in the favorable circumstances, when excited when winning. Is it there who praise in adversity or imprisonment. My writing is about a true story and the praises of God in prison, the most miserable. I was arrested and imprisoned about ten days for teaching the gospel.In that dark place, every day I was interrogated, living with two female prisoners. The loneliness, coldness, homesickness made me closer to God and always praised unto God.. When I was lying in the dark prison to remember that Jesus was born in the sheep shed for me, that place is also dark and stinking. However I must to praise sing God any where.

As in the article Choose An Uncanny Road (1) is a true story in my life. I was choosing walk on an uncanny road, with a lot unstable, challenges. Sometimes it's time to go through death. But I still brave to walk, because the front is glory, hope, and crown are waiting me. On my path to follow God, there are so many difficulties, I was imprisoned many time. This article is God taught me a lesson about sing praise God in prison of the Communist.

Things took a turn for the worse on the February 9, 1998 when we were studying the Bible at the house of Mr. An Nguyen in South Vietnam, he is a brother in Christ. The local police stormed the house and confiscated all Bibles, our vehicles, and all the money that was on us. They detained me for ten days and issued a paper for judicial hearing; and forced me to criminal charges, guilty of incitement through religious preaching, the punishment would be a three year sentence. My hand was handcuffed by two policemen like a robber with fourteen policemen around me. The Holy Spirit told me: "If you live, you live for the Lord; and if you die, you die for the Lord. So, whether you live or die, you belong to the Lord"

From now on I live for the Lord is to live by the Lord, live by my life that comes from the Lord, live by His Spirit, live for Him, for His glory. Quite the opposite way of life for myself. The principle is essentially replaced: the principle is not me, but God. "I live, but not me, but Christ live in me" (Gal 2:20). I am now no longer regarded as the center. The center now is God. I put Him at the center of my life, I cried a lot and began sang praise the Lord and followed the policemen the scene without resistance, because I knew God go with me anywhere I go. I have praise as David, (Psalm 23: 4-6) Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Pray to God the little things is the one with the greatest faith.

That is not easy to praise God in adversity, I was sad and crying, feeling lonely and thirsty the word of God comfort me. But in there no Bible, no book, only four walls and two female criminals offenders. During this detention, we were kept in a 2m x 2m cell. There was a toilet in the cell. We slept on the cement floor without any sheets to cover our bodies. I remember the smell of feces, urine, sweat, and mold. Due to the unsanitary condition, there were countless mosquitoes. I fasted for ten days straight. After seeing my continuously declining state of health, they released me with much of the verbal threats, they forbid me to continue preaching the Good News.

In the jail, every day I was standing next to a small window, because there is some light, looked up at the blue sky, my heart thirsts the God's word and aspiration for freedom, and I was earnestly pray to God: "Lord, why do I came here? What do You need I do for You?" Spirit God told me: "Let find two women for me" Surprise two female criminals told me: what did you talk with your God? and God did not answer you!

I said: Yes madam, God told me that He sent me to this jail because God love you and He want me talk about God's love to you.

One said: I never believed in heaven or hell, I also never believed Jesus, I worshiped in Buddhism, and now I am here.

I told to her: When you have not gone to prison, you did not know the jail. But when you are a criminal, you saw the jail and you live in the jail. Also, you are not yet come to the hell, that are not without hell.

She was silent and cries a lot, God healed her broken heart. I continued to preach the gospel to her and She accepted Jesus is her Lord. After that, every day I taught her to sang hymns. God loved and changed this woman. The first day I entered this jail I saw she always swears and speaks profanity, but soon after she accepted God, she was happy and silent, no cries, no bad words. I thank you, God, for giving me to this dark place to found a daughter to go back to God. I see my life meaningful, I sang singly like David in (Psalm 146:2) I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. From there, in the most liberated place, we were free to praise and worship the Lord.

By the tenth day, at midnight we were praying and singing hymns to God, the other prisoners were listening to them as Paul and Silas in the Bible (Acts 16:25).

The policemen came to shouted at us:

I will throw you into the dungeon, where you will not see the light, you will be blind, you will be silent, and you will not be able to praise your God.

I said to him: I will be there in the dungeon or I am free by God's decision, it is not by you, thank you.

Communist party leaders wanted to keep up me to three years in the jail but God saved me through my announcement to the police who has mocked my Lord and my praise unto God. And the next day I was freed, I experienced the power of praise God, And I would still humble to walk on the uncanny road under the mighty hand of God.

As the story in the Bible, after the accusation, the devil used all of the people of Philip to oppose Paul and Silas, the judges forced them to beat him and put him in prison, but he could not interfere with the relationship. between them and God. "About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and praising God, prisoners all listening" (25). The apostles were not ashamed of being persecuted for the sake of the Lord, who preached in prayer and praised their Lord, who did not see the audience, but they believed the audience was still listening. In the realm of the devil, Jesus was still walking; in the prison they were with, he was also with them. He always helps them accomplish the mission that he entrusts. The prayers and the singing of Paul and Silas were not only heard by the prisoners, but also by God, and by His actions: "Suddenly, there was a great earthquake that shook the ground. At that moment, all the doors are open, the prisoner chain is detachment, God has rescued Paul and Silas.

The power of praise pushes back the darkness the surrounds, and blocks the attacks and hissing lies over us. Evil will not stick around if we’re praising our God, who will fight our battles for us. When we praise the Lord, we see God miraculously defeat the enemy, because we praise Him, Almighty God.