Acts 16: 35 – 36 When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.” The jailer told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.”

The Apostle Paul travelled a great deal to preach the gospel, sometimes on foot but often by boat. In the book of Acts we find him in places like Antioch, Jerusalem, Galatia. On his way to Macedonia with his travelling companion Silas they made a stop in Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. There they were joined by Timothy. Their plan was to stay there several days. On the Sabbath day they went outside the city gate to the river expecting to find a place of prayer. There they encountered several women including Lydia, who was converted and baptized together with her household. She became their hostess.

On one occasion they encountered a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future, and was therefore a source of income for her owners. She followed Paul and his companions shouting “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” After she had kept this up for a few days, Paul was disturbed and rebuked the spirit: “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her.” The spirit obeyed but Paul’s actions landed him and Silas in jail after they were stripped and beaten. (Read Acts 16: 16 – 40).

If you were in jail, would you be expecting God to show up? Clearly Paul and Silas did because instead of bemoaning their situation, they were singing and praying at midnight while the other prisoners listened. Suddenly there was a violent earthquake which shook the very foundations of the prison and blew the doors open and the chains of every prisoner came loose. Here was an opportunity for all prisoners to go free but Paul took control of the situation and assured the jailer that no one had escaped. There was another move of God in that jailhouse that night as the jailer and others were saved. This record of the events of that night is so tremendous that I could go on and on, but let us just recognize that our God has no equal and that there is no situation he cannot use for his glory and our good.  He sets men free physically, mentally and spiritually.

“The Spirit of God is always in charge of the situation where God’s servants are concerned. He opens prison doors and breaks asunder the shackles that bind believers to their situations. He inhabits the praises of his people and sets himself above the circle of the earth from where he reigns supreme. It shall never be that he will leave his children without a witness. He will bring glory to himself so that men may know he reigns.”