Acts chapter 16 verses 25-28 (NIV)
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”
What struck me about this passage was the fact that, as Christians, our behaviour, and in particular the way that we respond to a situation, can have an influence over others.
Paul and Silas had been beaten up and placed in the inner, and most secure cell. Not the best place to be when you’re bruised and battered, but the acoustics were probably good. So here they were at midnight, singing hymns and worshipping God. They literally had a captive audience. We don’t know how long they had been doing so before the earthquake came. But when the doors opened and the chains fell off, we find that the other prisoners didn’t run away. They had ideal opportunity to do so, yet influenced by the praises and prayers of Paul and Silas, they chose to remain where God’s presence was. So because they stayed, the jailer’s life was also changed, along with those in his family. All because Paul and Silas forgot about themselves and focused on God.
Sometimes we don’t have to preach a sermon to reach people, we just need to live our lives focusing on the things of God.
Dear Lord,
Help me to remember that I carry Your presence with me, even in the difficult times. If I keep my eyes on Jesus, I pray that those around me will sense Your Presence. I pray in Jesus’ Name. Amen.