A Song of Faith

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.”

Across the Bay

A cold hymn echoes low across the bay
Like the sound of old church bells in winter.
Your voice offers just a whisper,
And then, at once, the whisper fades away
As your hand brushes mine.

We played here as kids, and I was afraid
Of the day we’d grow up and say goodbye.
We walked along the water’s side
And pretended we owned the world, until
The night drained out the day. 

Alone, the birds never fly quite as high 
Or quite as beautiful as they somehow should.
And feelings I once withstood
Now spread through my soul like water through sand
Beating warm rhythm again. 

We grew older, but goodbye never came. 
We found a life we both wanted and feared;
I watched the grey skies turn clear,
Because I learned that even in the shadows
The heart finds new ways to see. 

An old song echoes against the water
But it’s not the sound of bells this time—
Just a lullaby intertwined
With aged memories of distant world
But not so distant love.

Copyright 2013 by Ashley Williams