God’s Hope for Your Heart from Acts 16
GOD CHOSE YOU TO BE A DELIVERER
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 16:25-31)
It would have been so easy for Paul and Silas to keep silent while the jailer killed himself. With him out of the way, they and all the other prisoners could have simply walked out free. They could have even told everyone how great it was that God sent an earthquake to deliver them.
Yes, they could have done that, but if they had they would have failed at their greater mission.
Rather than look out for their own needs, Paul and Silas knew the jailer had a far greater need—salvation. They were willing to trade their chance at freedom for the opportunity to give their captor a chance for eternal life.
That decision was incredibly worth it, because not only were the jailer and his whole family saved, but God worked out Paul and Silas’s freedom anyway! He even ensured that their wounds were taken care of in the meantime.
God loves to deliver His people in creative ways, but that’s not all. If you’re in Christ, He also wants to let you be a part of extending the blessing to others!
Don’t miss the opportunities He brings for you to join Him in His work of redemption. Open your eyes and your heart to see the needs of the world around you, and as you respond to them in the power of Christ, you’ll find hope in this truth: God chose you to be a deliverer.
-Pastor Phillip
AUDIO VERSION (Click here to subscribe to the daily podcast on iTunes.)