See the shape Paul and Silas were in and what they did in response.
Acts 16: 22 And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. 23 And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: 24 Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. 25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. 26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed. 27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. 29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, 30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
For physical pain years ago there were herbal remedies. Then medications came out. There are all kinds of pain relievers on the shelf. Prescriptions vary from the weak stuff to what knocks you for a loop. There is one pain that earthly means can’t help—the pain of the soul. The injury of sin inflicts pain. There are not a variety of solutions for it. There is just one. It is demonstrated here by Paul and Silas. They were falsely accused and arrested. Many were being saved. One fortune teller was saved from her evil spirit. This made people mad. They took Paul and Silas to the magistrate. Everyone was for them; suddenly people were against them. They were beaten and sentenced to jail. Their freedom was taken. The devil will try to stop us. He’ll cause people to go against us. It’s almost a reproach to mention the name of Jesus now days. We’re beginning to see it.
They were beaten with a whip for being a witness for Christ. Still in pain, they were put in jail, and separated from others in the inner prison for maximum security. They were thrust in darkness with their feet and hands bound with chains.
The devil inflicts pain on us. Society inflicts pain upon us. People—family and friends—may inflict pain. Here in a dungeon bleeding, surrounded by other prisoners, they had a decision to make. You always have a choice. There is always an option. God is still God. The Savior still abides. The keeper of the jail was in his bed. He didn’t realize a higher power was in charge of that jail. He’s the keeper of every prison.
This is what they decided not to do—cry and complain. They didn’t say “what’s the use?” That’s what we do. They could have taken that attitude and asked why that was happening to them. They knew how the devil works. They knew they didn’t deserve the stripes. They didn’t feel sorry for themselves. No matter what you go through, someone is in the predicament with you. Paul was not alone. Silas was not alone. They were together. When one suffers, we all suffer. The Lord doesn’t forget his suffering children. We may feel alone but we are not. We have each other. We also have Jesus! Though they had lost a lot, they had not lost what God gave them. We may suffer the loss of possessions, but we don’t have to lose the Lord. Hold to what he gave you. The jailer could touch their bodies but not their hearts. The devil can hurt you in a 1,000 ways, but he can’t get to your heart as long as you keep it with Jesus. Blinded by darkness, they still had perfect vision in their soul. When everything looks dark, what we have within gives clear meaning to everything. We are never in total darkness. The Light is there.
These men sensed the presence of one who died for them. He may seem miles away but regardless of how it seems, the Lord is faithful. It’s never dark for the Lord. By his stripes we are healed. No matter how tightly chained we are, Jesus is not chained. He’s a prayer away. He’s with us always. Let yourself sense it.
We saw what they didn’t do. What did they do? At midnight they prayed and sang praises. They knew Jesus was still close enough to reach out to. They could still sing to him. They could still give him praise. That’s growing in the Lord when you can sing in your darkest hours. The other prisoners heard them. Sinners will pay attention when we respond like children of God.
The Lord responded from heaven and gave the jail a shake down to its foundation. The doors opened. Everyone’s bands fell off. The prisoners didn’t run. The jailer saw the doors opened and pulled his sword to kill himself. Paul told him to stop because everyone was still there. He fell down before them and asked Sirs, what must I do to be saved? They said believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. The jailer took Paul and Silas to his house and cleaned their wounds. His household believed. They found water and were baptized. That prison became a meeting house that night.
Look what happens when we take God’s prescription. Take it and see what relief comes your way. Any prison can be a paradise with the Lord.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 