They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks. Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!” 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?” Acts 16:23-30 (New Living Translation, NLT)

Have you ever been in a situation where seemed to be no way out? Sometimes the obstacles seem so big and the way ahead looks rocky and rough. And you’ve prayed to God for deliverance and release, but you haven’t seen the manifestation yet. That is the time to decide to dig your heels in and believe God no matter what.

Paul and Silas were imprisoned and things looked pretty dim. They didn’t have the book of Acts yet, so they hadn’t read the account of how God would deliver them. They just made a decision to praise when praise didn’t make sense. And when they did, something terrifying happened. An earthquake of immense intensity shook the ground. It shook the walls. Stones and pieces of the jail were probably falling around them. And then it did something amazing- it opened their prison doors and unlocked their shackles and chains. What an earthquake! It was an event both terrifying anf amazing at the same time. If you’ve ever been in an earthquake you know what I mean. There is a sound- often compared to the rumble of a train coming through. And there’s shaking that has the ability to break apart and destroy tall, sturdy buildings. And something that would naturally be very destructive brought freedom to Paul and Silas.

Many times we are faced with what seems to be a very negative, terrifying situation- and it is the very thing that God uses to free us. In the midst of the earthquake, I doubt that Paul and Silas thought, “Oh goody, now we’re going to be free!” They had no idea what was going on, but they trusted God in the midst of the shaking. And that is what we need to do. When things are shifting and shaking all around you, know that God will use it to bring you the very change you need- and He will bring change to others too. So hold tight during the shaking- the prison doors are opening before your eyes!