A
cold, damp prison cell. Rusty chains clanging with every slight move. Someone
crying in the distance. A rat scurrying about in the corner in search of food.
Then
beautiful, melodious singing. Even with blood still trickling down their backs
and muscles throbbing from a recent beating, Paul and Silas refused to remain
silent. They had seen the miracles, witnessed the lives changed instantly
through Christ, and personally experienced the powerful work of the Holy
Spirit. They knew there was something more, and were resolved to grab hold of
it. No amount of fear could suppress their voices from singing praises to their
God.
Of
course, we can only guess what songs they sang. Was it a slow tune just above a
whisper, or was it an unbroken melody they sang at the top of their lungs?
Whatever it may have been, it didn’t take long before the other prisoners turn
their heads to listen, some joining in perhaps, and others possibly ridiculing
their unlikely behavior. Still, Paul and Silas’ voices rang on.
Then,
without warning, the room began to shake violently with such a pressure that
every prison door burst open at once, and chains crumbled off the prisoners’
hands and feet. Imagine how that scene must have looked as the prisoners sat
there in absolute shock. Such a great rumbling awakened the jailer, and through
the darkness, he observed the cell doors wide open. Fearing that the Romans
would kill him, he drew out his sword and prepared to take his life.
Paul
and Silas could have waited with the other prisoners in silence as the guard
killed himself. In fact, it would have made their escape much easier. Realizing
that God had reached down and saved their lives, however, they chose to reach out
and do the same for this man.
“Don’t
harm yourself,” Paul called out in a loud voice. “All of us are here.”
The
jailer ran toward Paul and Silas and fell down before them. As much of an
unthinkable day as it had already been, something even more unexpected was
still to come.
The
jailer accepted Christ as his Savior.
Just
one small act of faith, even in the darkest parts of our lives, often reaps
bountiful harvests. Faith builds itself upon faith; fear only tears down. If
Paul and Silas would have moaned and complained about their circumstances (like
most are tempted to do!), the chains may have never broken, the other prisoners
may have remained in that prison until their death, and the jailer may have
never come to know Christ. Thankfully, Paul and Silas were able to look past
their surroundings and see through the eyes of faith.
Psalm
51:15 says, “O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise.”
