Acts 16:26
Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose.
Paul and Silas are locked in a jail. The Holy Spirit is present and them there two boy's were praying their bail. God heard their worship and the walls began to shake as heaven came down.
Not only the walls, but the very foundation of that jail was rocked by the presence of God.
But there wasn't any destruction. Walls were still intact. Roof was still overhead. I do love the selective work of God. Two things happened that could not explained. Every jail cell door flew open..........and everybody's chains came off. The Grace of God had become real and tangible to everyone in that jail.
What instigated it?
Two men who refused to give into their flesh (sin) nature. Two men who had a right to be angry and hurt against the authority for beating them and imprisoning them on trumped up charges.
Two men who in spite of their situation chose to pray and worship God in the most unusual place. If you were the jailer there in that place, the only thing you ever heard were curses and cries of pain. Long wails about how wrong had been done and "I'm innocent..I don't deserve to be here!" But not on this night.
Paul and Silas had themselves a genuine pray meeting. Real prayer is not bound by a situation or a level of comfort in ones life. Real prayer comes when it rises above the pain...the loneliness and the wrong suffered by someone. It comes from a place that really doesn't make much sense to the human mind. Real prayer is never prayed out of fear. I learned this the hard way during a dark time in my life. I was faced with something outside my control and was truly bombarding heaven with my cries. But my prayer was being spoken from a place of fear. I was literally begging God for something that He wanted to do. I remember so well that God spoke to me with such a loving voice and told me...."Michael...you don't have to pray fearfully. That tells me that you aren't sure if you can trust me to answer your prayer or not." I have never forgotten that moment.
Using the story of Paul and Silas, I like to relate it to recovery meetings.
Worship and prayer is at the heart of what we do on Saturday nights.
If you look at the story of Paul and Silas, they were the two he instigate the entire event through their singing and prayers, but everyone who was present had their cell doors opened and their chains loosed. That is our prayer for every Saturday night. That through our worship and prayers, those who are present will be freed from the jail of addiction and have the chains of their sin broken so that they can come out into a new life.
Learn to worship God in the good times, so that you can truly worship Him in the bad.
He is worthy no matter what our lot in life holds.
You have got to love this Jesus! He can get up all in the devil's plans and make a mess of them.
God on you....
mb
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