02/04/2026
One day, Paul and Silas were going to the place of prayer. They met a slave girl who was demon-possessed and making a lot of money for her master as a fortune teller. She started following them around, shouting and mocking them. After days of this, Paul finally has enough and commands the demon to come out of her. This makes her master really mad, because it shattered his hope of getting rich. So he turns them over to the authorities. They are stripped of their clothes, beaten severely with wooden rods, and thrown into prison. In prison, their feet were clamped in stocks, so they wouldn't escape.
"Around midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening." Acts 16:25
The Bible goes on to say that there was a massive earthquake, and all the prisoners were set free. But NONE of them left! Through this whole experience, the jailer gets saved.
It's an awesome story of faith during trials and redemption. You can clearly see how a sinner (the jailer) came to Jesus because Paul and Silas didn't give in to their circumstances. But I want to go back for a minute to the scripture, "... and the other prisoners were listening." When I read that scripture tonight, I heard Holy Spirit say, "What are people hearing from you? Are they hearing complaints about how bad your circumstances are, or are they hearing worship?"
The Bible doesn't say that all the other inmates were saved because of Paul and Silas's worship. But here is what it does say— verse 28, Paul says, "... we are all here."
It's probably safe to assume that everyone in prison was a criminal (except Paul and Silas). Which means they probably weren't living for God. When the earthquake struck, they all had the opportunity to leave. After all, they were in jail for a reason, so they probably weren't concerned that leaving would break the law. Yet they stayed.
My prayer today:
God, let my voice always carry words of worship and not complaint, especially during the hard times. When I speak, let others hear you. Let my worship compel others to stay (in your presence) when their own circumstances could drive them to flee! And God, let my praise melt the hardest of hearts and lead them to your feet.