Acts 16:25-26 (NIV) - “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.”

Paul and Silas were arrested and put in prison after a woman was set free and healed by the power of the Lord. They were stripped, beaten with rods and thrown into prison. Imagine the gloomy, dark prison cell late at night. Paul and Silas pray and sing hymns to God with all the prisoners listening to the songs. I wonder what the prisoners were thinking as they were listening to these men of faith singing to the one true God. Well, their singing brought the house down! An earthquake struck and shook the prison to the point where all the prison doors flew open and everyone’s chains came loose.

The jailer was about to kill himself because if any prisoners escaped, the jailer would receive the death penalty. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” (v.28). The jailer came to believe in Jesus Christ as well as his entire family. Praise God!

The power of singing and worshipping God even in the midst of suffering was displayed in the power of salvation for the jailer. This story reminds us that as the people of God, we can sing to God in the midst of the most difficult and trying circumstances. Let us worship and sing to God who is our SALVATION! May this joy of salvation be known to this world as we worship Him!

Listen to this song and let’s fix our eyes on the one who saves!

-DP