Acts 16:25-30 – 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. 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” 29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Lied about. Beaten with rods. Flogged to slice open their skin. Imprisoned into filthy conditions with untreated wounds. Bruised and bloody. Paul and Silas did not dwell on themselves as being the world’s victims, but on themselves being those who are victors through the blood of Jesus. Jesus died and gave them an eternal victory that none in the world, or in the spiritual realm could take away (Romans 8:37-39). They may have been beaten and imprisoned with open bleeding wounds in a filthy cell, but they were not defeated. They did not sing the blues but sang praises to God. They laughed, they cried tears of joy, for their Savior and Lord had never left them. They did not doubt. They did not curse God that He had allowed them to be wronged. They praised Him that He would consider them worthy of continuing His legacy of having been rejected, tortured and killed by the world. Jesus died to save the world (John 3:17), including the ones who tortured and killed Him (Romans 5:8). The Holy Spirit, who ministered to Jesus and who raised Him from the dead, was also with them. They were being allowed to share in, to continue the ministry of Jesus to the world. They couldn’t be happier! How dare anyone call themselves lovers of Jesus, His disciples, and then doubt Him or even yell at Him in anger because we don’t understand. None of us fully understand. How dare any pastors or teachers say it is okay to do so! It is not okay to doubt and scream angrily at Jesus because we don’t understand, or refuse to understand. Doing that is natural, but natural is not Godly. Doubting and being angry at God is a sin, whatever the reason. Can the sin be forgiven? Yes, of course, but it is still a sin. Those who tortured and killed Him and demanded His death yelled at Him. Let’s not be counted with them, as those who do such a thing. All the understanding we ever need is found in the Gospel. The Gospel has the answer for every hurt and every injustice. He whom we call Savior and Lord suffered more. He being innocent did it for us who are guilty. Let’s not doubt or be angry at God, but know beyond all doubt that He is always good to us and He always loves us. Let that be our guide and not doubt and anger. God is good and He loves us!
“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.” Imagine the scene. It is late and even the guard was sleeping. But not Paul and Silas, they could still be heard praying and praising God in song. Not in loud voices meant to keep all the other prisoners awake, but in joyful but considerate voices. They did not have inconsideration as they praised God, which would have been contrary to the Holy Spirit who lifted their souls. They just had to praise God. They could not be silenced by the injustice they had just gone through. They had a heavenly perspective in their minds and hearts and nothing in this world could change that. Oh praise God! How we long to live out our faith, how we long to live out our love and gratitude to Jesus, in such a way. Lord Jesus, please prepare my heart that whatever may come I will be found, in any circumstance, to be praising You. Certainly there are more hard times ahead, but always in those times, and through those times, and beyond those times, You are with me, loving me, protecting me, and continuing with me in every step on the journey home to be forever with the Father, You, and Your blessed Holy Spirit. When the earthquake happened and the prison doors flew open and the chains fell off them, they did not immediately flee their situation because though their bodies suffered their spirits soared in the freedom and beauty that they lived in through Jesus. What about those chains? Okay, it could have been that the chains were shaken off the wall during the “violent earthquake.” But that would not cause the chains to fall off of them. But their chains that bound them fell to the ground. How wonderfully symbolic that as God had already freed them from the spiritual chains that bound them He also, through His own unlimited power, freed them from the physical chains that bound them. Nothing can bind of slow down the Christian who is ministering by and in the will of God.
“The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.” The sleeping jailer who considered his prisoners secured by chains and prison cell, woke up to find the doors to the cells open and he naturally assumed his prisoners had fled. That would mean shame and death to him. He thought instead of going through the shame, the beatings and the death sentence he would just end his life right there. Of course his prisoners had fled. Who wouldn’t have? Why would they not?
“But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” 29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.” Somehow, before the lights were called to turned on, there was enough light in jail for Paul to see the jailer about to kill himself. Paul, to save him, called out to him. This man, who was an employee of the government who had beaten and imprisoned them, Paul had compassion for and called out to save him. This should not surprise us, Paul was in the business of calling out to people to save them. Paul, in preaching the Gospel, every day was calling out to save the souls of people who were about to kill their own everlasting souls. He did that because of the love of God living within him. This jailer, or the men who beat and flogged him, were loved no less than any other Paul ministered to. Jesus died to save the souls of all people and Paul counted every shed drop of the blood of Jesus as precious. He lived to continue to fulfill the mission of Jesus. None, even the most hateful, the most despicable, were out of the eye of Jesus when He died for the sins of all. Yes, Paul loved his jailer and did what flowed from his heart, he called out to save him.
“The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” The amazed jailer called for the lights and ran to Paul and Silas and fell before them, trembling at what had just happened. He had heard of supernatural miracles that had been performed through these men. He had seen how they had suffered the indignities of the false accusations. He, like surely many who had been at the trial, saw through the lies of the accusers. He had seen and heard that these men had not become forlorn, they had not become angry and denounced God, they had not lost their joy and they had not lost their peace as they had sang praises to God. They had even thanked Jesus for being counted worthy to suffer in His name. Before the earthquake the jailer thought it a strange curiosity. After the earthquake, and after their obvious concern for his welfare, the jailer understand that these men truly were representatives of the one and only God. Realizing that, he wanted to know what must he do to be saved? They had shown their care for him, now he trusted them to tell him how to save his immortal soul. And this, Family, is why walk in faith every moment of our lives. This is why we, not being omniscient, unfailingly live in faith in the One who is Omniscient.
The Gospel that saves us, the Gospel we live in, is the product of the infinite wisdom and knowledge of God for the saving of all who will come. Oh Family, what more do we need to be firmly convinced that God is always good and that He always loves us? Praise God and never doubt. We have more reason to have faith than to doubt. Praise God and do not doubt! Yes, always and in all circumstances, praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”