Feb 14, 2018
The Book of Acts is full of fantastic, almost unrealistic stories, and Acts 16:25-40 is no exception. In this passage, we have Luke retelling of Paul and Silas being miraculously released from prison by a huge earthquake. Actually, they don’t really get released. They simply have their chains fall off and the doors of their prison cells inexplicably unlocked. But what makes the story so incredible is that they weren’t the ones to get set free. That distinction goes to the keeper of the prison, who came to faith in Jesus Christ because of what happened that night. He was set free from his captivity to sin and released from the death sentence that hovered over his head like a sword. The captor became the freed man. Sometimes we wonder why God allows us to go through difficulties or experience circumstances that are less-than-ideal. But we never know what God has up His sleeve. We have no way of knowing what he may have planned and how He is going to use what appears to be a negative situation and use it to accomplish His divine will. Paul and Silas had been thrown in jail. But rather than whine and moan over their lot in life, they had spent the night praying and singing. They saw their situation as an opportunity to serve God and watch Him work. And when given a prime opportunity to escape their unfortunate surroundings, they chose instead to stay right where they were – seeing their circumstances as God-ordained and the jailer’s spiritual well-being as more important than their own physical welfare.