Read Acts 16:23-31
The Philippian jailer had been entrusted with two
prisoners accused of civil disobedience.
He wasn’t taking any chances of a breakout from within or by supporters
from outside. He shackled them hand and foot in the deepest recesses of the
prison. He expected the usual – curses and complaints. These men had been severely beaten, so at
least moans and groans. But as he finished the last of his day’s duties and
made sure everything was securely locked up, what he heard was singing and
words of intercession that joyously spoke of hope and salvation. He had no
trouble hearing every word because even the most raucous prisoner was silent,
listening in the darkness to words of light and freedom joyously expressed by
their fellow inmates.
Later that night, the prison was violently shaken by
an earthquake strong enough to knock metal doors off their mooring and break
loose the shackle mountings from stone walls and floors. The opportunity to escape, the inmates had
wished for from the first second of their incarceration, was right there. But they did not escape. Out there did not
offer the same freedom they heard about from Paul and Silas. They wanted what these two men had. Freedom from a prison that bound their souls
was more important than escaping the prison that held their bodies. They
all stayed.
Violently aroused from sleep, it didn’t take long for
the jailer to discover every door was compromised. There was nothing to keep
the prisoners from escaping. He didn’t hear the usual cursing and cries. All
was silent. Life as he knew it was
over! The Roman contract that defined
his duties clearly stated that if a prisoner was unable to carry out his
sentence for any reason, the jailer would assume that punishment. How many prisoners had been entrusted to him
4-10-20? Were they there to pay off
debts, serve life sentences, waiting for execution? He was overwhelmed by a situation he was
responsible for, but circumstances he could not control.
It is possible that he checked the first few prison
cells and found them empty, or maybe he didn’t bother checking any of them. He
knew what the prisoners would do. It was
what he would have done in their position.
They would have escaped. That is what he felt he had to do. He saw the only feasible escape for him was
to take his own life.
Just as he was about to plunge the knife into his own
heart, he heard a voice coming from the dark inner prison. It was the voice he had heard praying and
singing. “Do not harm yourself. We are
all here!” How did they know they were ALL there? Because rather than leaving the prison they
went in deeper to seek out Paul and Silas.
They were that desperate to find the hope and freedom found in Jesus
Christ alone.
Hope reached out of the
shaken prison and drew the jailer in as well.
He grabbed a torch and rushed in.
He needed to know. Not if the
prisoners were really there, but if the freedom they spoke of was really real. He needed it. His family needed it. In Christ they all found it.
Making It Personal
Do you ever feel you are
trying to juggle all of life’s commitments and demands while walking on a tight
rope? How do you respond when the rope
is shaken by circumstances out of your control?
A natural response is to
want to escape. What are some ways you have been tempted or actually attempted
to escape your overwhelming circumstances and fear?
According to 1 Corinthians 10:13, where is the real escape found?
Paul and Silas were falsely
imprisoned and unjustly beaten; yet they chose to respond with prayer and
praise.
- What would be considered a natural, understandable response?
- How do you think they were able to choose one so unnatural?
- How does James 1:2-6 and 1Peter 1:6-9 encourage you to make that hard choice in your own overwhelming circumstances?
- Whom was impacted by Paul and Silas’ choosing to praise?
- Who is impacted by your choices? In what way?
- How would your choosing an attitude of praise make a difference in their lives?
Paul and Silas possessed a
freedom found in Jesus that the deepest darkest prison nor the strongest chains
could take from them. (John 8:31,32 and
36)
- Have you personally discovered this freedom?
- Because of Christ, what are you free from, and free to do and be?
- Do you know others still in need of that freedom?
- Does your walk and talk draw them to the great escape in Christ or are they left to continue looking for another way?
