REFLECTION
The theme for our reflection is “Silas, a faithful companion” To be faithful means to be loyal and reliable. A companion is a person one spends a lot of time with or a person who keeps company with another. A faithful companion is a loyal person who keeps company with another. A faithful companion is a reliable and trustworthy person, friend or partner. Silas, a faithful companion means Silas is a loyal, reliable and trustworthy person who is worth keeping as a friend and partner. We shall consider the fact that a faithful companion is a friend or partner who stands with you in times of adversity.
Beloved in the Lord, Silas was a faithful companion because even in times of adversity and difficulty he did not desert Apostle Paul. Silas was a leader and prophet in the Jerusalem Church chosen to accompany Paul on His missionary journey to Antioch, Syria and Cecicilia. (Acts 15:22-23, 32). During their missionary journey, Paul and Silas were arrested in Phillippi because Paul had prayed for the deliverance of a girl from an unclean spirit which kept exposing their identity through fortune-telling. “When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities…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. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. (Acts 16:19, 22-26). Beloved in the Lord, we see the faithful companionship of Silas in times of adversity and imprisonment. He supported Paul emotionally, spiritually and physically while they stood trial and were in prison. In 1 Peter 5:12. Peter also identified the unique character of Silas who is also called Silvanus in Greek as a faithful companion when he wrote that “…Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him” How are we also regarded by our friends?
Dear friend, we all need friends or companions like Silas in our journey as believers in the world. We need trustworthy, reliable, dependable or faithful friends who are ready to go through thick and thin with us. Silas played the role of a faithful companion to Paul by encouraging him, suffering with him and more importantly praying and singing with him when they were in prions. Proverbs 17:17 describes a faithful companion when it says “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. (Proverbs 17:17) In other words, there are people who love you all the time but those who truly love you and will remain faithful companions even in times of difficulties are true brothers or sisters in the Lord. The brother or sister here is not necessarily biological, it refers to a person who is ready to go the extra mile to sacrifice his or her time, resources and comfort for your wellbeing. Pastors also need faithful companions who will support them in good or bad times in their ministries. Like Paul, pastors or church leaders are also human beings, therefore, there are times they are also bedevilled with life’s challenges, hence the need for faithful companions in their lives. Silas and Paul were of great support to one another while they were going through difficult moments together. Just as a Pastor is required to be a faithful companion to a congregant, it is also required of congregants to be faithful companions to their pastor. A faithful companion can also be a husband, wife, child or family relation. A faithful companion can be a colleague at work, a church member or a neighbour. The most important fact is that this person has you at heart and has demonstrated over the years that he or she is there for you both in good and bad times. Unfortunately, we live in a world where you see so many people around you in good times but in the difficult and challenging moments, only a handful of people are able to reach out to you. This tells us that it is difficult to find faithful companions in life. If you happen to find one remain a faithful companion to him or her. Faithful companions are God-sent, they are human angels God brings into our lives when all hope seems to be lost and we are approaching a state of distress and despair. Let us continue to be faithful companions even as we have others who continue to be faithful companions to us.
In summary, we have reflected on the theme “Silas, a faithful companion” We have underscored the fact that a faithful companion is a friend or partner who stands with you in times of adversity. Shalom.
PRAYER
1. Let us thank God for the faithful companions in our lives.
2. Let us pray for good health, long life and prosperity for the faithful companions in our lives
3. Let us pray for God to strengthen us to also remain faithful companions to our friends and family members, especially in difficult or challenging periods of their lives.
Dear Lord, we thank you for the gift of faithful companions in our lives. May we continue to be guided by the Holy Spirit to remain supportive and faithful in our dealings with all the people we encounter in our lives. Amen
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