...Never Alone!...

Paul and Silas in Prison

16 One day, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. 17 While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, ‘These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.’ 18 She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ‘I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And it came out that very hour.

19 But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the market-place before the authorities. 20 When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, ‘These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews 21 and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.’ 22 The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. 23 After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. 24 Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted in a loud voice, ‘Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.’ 29 The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them outside and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ 31 They answered, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’ 32 They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. 34 He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.

35 When morning came, the magistrates sent the police, saying, ‘Let those men go.’ 36 And the jailer reported the message to Paul, saying, ‘The magistrates sent word to let you go; therefore come out now and go in peace.’ 37 But Paul replied, ‘They have beaten us in public, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and now are they going to discharge us in secret? Certainly not! Let them come and take us out themselves.’ 38 The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens; 39 so they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and asked them to leave the city. 40 After leaving the prison they went to Lydia’s home; and when they had seen and encouraged the brothers and sisters there, they departed” Acts 16:16-40.

This story takes us out of the world of Judaism and into the superstitious world of Hellenism. A slave girl who has the gift of ventriloquism very much annoyed Paul and Silas who were trying to preach for days, only to be continuously interrupted by this slave girl. So Paul prays to the Holy Spirit to drive this pagan spirit from the girl, and the evil spirit came out of this girl. The owners of this magical girl are angered because with the loss of the girl’s pagan gifts is their lost source of income! So the owners of this girl drag Paul and Silas to the Magistrates who have the two beaten and shackled in prison. That night the area experiences an earthquake, and Paul and Silas quietly remain in their prison cell despite the complete demolition of the prison. When the Magistrates realize that Paul and Silas did not escape from prison when they easily could have done so, they release them after learning the two were Roman citizens, and as such exempt from the beatings they magistrates inflicted on the two men.

This is a marvelous story that speaks of the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, reminding us that when we experience difficulties in our own life, we are never alone. God is always with us. The Holy Spirit lives within us, and we need always to remember this. No matter what difficulties you experience in life, especially the most difficult of all your bad experiences, never forget that God is with you.

When I lived in Africa for years, the Sukuma people with whom I lived, always reminded me that God is with us!  “Mungu Yupo!” was the Swahili phrase I heard more than anything else. God is with us! Dear friends, never forget that God is always with you. Call upon the Lord in good times and in bad times, and in sickness and in health! You will never be disappointed!

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.