My prayer for you for today is that you will believe and
trust in the Lord Jesus, and that His presence in your life will touch those
around you. In Jesus Name.
Acts
16:29-39
The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and
fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and asked,
"Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
In the most unexpected places God is at work. This event
in Paul’s life is actually quite interesting and well, it makes you think. You
see it all started with a fortune teller. Firstly I must say that Paul has gone
through some tough experiences before he ended up in Philippi. Now what I love
about this encounter is all the little messages that form part of one result.
Now we know that we will suffer for Christ but let’s look at what happened to
Paul. You see this fortune teller was a demon possessed slave that earned a lot
of money for her masters. But what she did is she shouted out what Paul and
Silas was doing and we find it in verse 17:
17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These
men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be
saved."
18 This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And instantly it left her.
18 This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And instantly it left her.
I just love that. Paul got exasperated (infuriated,
annoyed) to the point where he just had enough and he said: "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of
her." And the spirit left
her. Goodness, if I was a bystander I can just imagine the stunned silence and
the look of confusion on that girls face and then it must’ve been followed by a
cry of joy for she was free of the demon. We can move mountains with Jesus. And
yes this not only changed her life but also Paul and Silas life’s:
22 A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city
officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods.23 They
were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was
ordered to make sure they didn't escape.24 So the jailer put them
into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.
This is the best part, what now looked like a hopeless
situation was all part of God’s plan to save the jailer and his family. This is
what we must learn, even in hopeless times God is at work. And what left me
stunned out of this whole story is this part:
25 Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns
to God, and the other prisoners were listening.
That just left me speechless. You see even in the worst
times we must always remember that God has a plan and purpose. Don’t lose faith
my friend but stand firm as we journey together to the Kingdom of God and pray
and sing hymns along the way.
Have a great day, friend of Jesus.
Cheers
