God’s Suddenlies | A Bible Story Revisited
In this post, Pam shares some of God’s suddenlies: One from the past and one that’s yet to come.
A day of teaching, encouraging and serving is followed by a slave girl – a fortune-teller—who proclaimed Paul and Silas to be “servants of the Most High God”. Paul was annoyed by her disruption, so he cast out her demons.
Understandably, her owners were not happy! In fact, they were furious over the loss of their “cash cow”. They took Paul and Silas to the Roman authorities.
The crowd—who had also benefitted from her fortune-telling—ganged up on Paul and Silas. The magistrates tore off their clothes, had them beaten with “many blows” and threw them in prison. The jailer—quick to obey the magistrate commands, put their feet in stocks to prevent their escape.
It’s midnight. They have been misunderstood, beaten and were probably very hungry and thirsty.
What do these servants of the Most High God do?
Paul and Silas responded by praying and singing hymns.
When you read stories about Bible characters, do you ever wonder—like me—what YOUR response would have been?
God’s Suddenlies
God loves it when we praise Him in the midst of trials and sufferings. AND He also loves to surprise us with “suddenlies.”
So…Scripture records that He “suddenly sent a GREAT earthquake.”
All the prison doors were opened and all the prisoners’ bonds were unfastened.
Yet, no one left! Zowie! Amazing!
The jailer was terrified of the repercussions from the magistrates, so he was prepared to kill himself before they got to him. But Paul stopped him. And when the jailer saw that everyone was still there in the jail—and with the songs of Paul and Silas still ringing in his ears—he fell down and cried out in awe and understanding, asking how to be saved.
Just Believe
Paul’s response to him and to his household was simple: Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.
He and his family ministered to Paul’s wounds; and then he and his household were immediately baptized.
The jailer then took Paul and Silas upstairs into his home, and fed them, and he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.
New creations. New beginnings. A future with Jesus in Heaven. Glory!
Standing Firm
The magistrates were horrified and terrified when they found out that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens that they had harmed and jailed. They wanted them to just slink out of town; and hoped everyone would forget the whole mess. But…NOPE!
Paul’s response: “They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned men who are Roman citizens and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out privately? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.” (v.17)
He insisted on a PUBLIC apology.
So the magistrates did that. They came and apologized to Paul and Silas, and took them out of prison, fearful because they had harmed Roman citizens without a trial and they asked them to leave town.
But, Paul and Silas didn’t go.
They had an important stop to make first before they left town. They went to where it had all started. With Lydia and the other believers. They went to her house. To encourage them to continue in the faith. What a glorious reunion that must have been.
“So they went out of the prison and visited Lydia. And when they had seen the brothers, (fellow believers), they encouraged them and departed.”Acts 16:40
Related Post: Are You Prepared to Defend the Faith You Profess?
God Works Everything Together for Our Good
Belonging to Jesus, as a fully devoted follower, means you, too, can expect that your praise and worship in the midst of trials and “prisons” of all sorts, can be a beacon of hope and encouragement for those who are flailing around, seeking after worldly pursuits and are not (yet) followers of the Most High God.
Servants of the Most High God live their lives in such a way as to cause others to ask “what must I do to be saved?” (Like the jailer did.)
What must I do?
Praise Him from your “prisons.”
Be like Paul and Silas in Acts 14:22 “Strengthening the souls of the disciples, (their fellow earth-bound brethren), encouraging them to continue in the faith” and reminding them that “through many tribulations we must enter the Kingdom of God.”
Life is Hard, but God is Good
We become like Him through the fellowship of His sufferings. Trusting the Lord and becoming a Christ-follower does not make the life on planet earth easy. But it gives us hope and a REASON to keep on keeping on.
The Christian life is not easy, but it is a walk through life with your hand in the hand of the One who gave His ALL…JESUS…so you can CHOOSE to follow Him straight into His arms in Heaven one day.
Perhaps Today
Don’t delay. Nothing else needs to happen for Him to come back for us in the RAPTURE to gather His own to Himself and take us to our heavenly home that He has carefully been preparing for us. Woo Hoo!!! Come Lord Jesus!!!
Are you His? I HOPE you are.
STAY alert for Jesus’ Ultimate “Suddenly”
Until next time, KLU GIB.
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