Singing in prison

April 19, 2007

By Gary Rogers

There is a fascinating story found in Acts 16 about a potential jailbreak.

During Paul and Silas’ ministry at Philippi a demon-possessed girl began to distract from their ministry. Paul commanded the spirit of evil to come out of the young girl. This deliverance for the girl meant loss of income for the girl’s masters who used her demonic power as a fortune-telling sideshow.

The owners targeted Paul and Silas as the ones who brought down their moneymaking scheme. Their influence landed the missionary team in prison after Paul and Silas received a terrible beating with rods.

From the prison you could hear singing. Their bodies were bruised, bleeding and aching but that didn’t keep them from singing hymns to God. I love this statement: “And the other prisoners were listening to them” (verse 25, NIV). Then an earthquake hit and the prison was shaken and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains fell off. Everyone in the whole prison was freed. The power of God’s freedom was shared with all who were fellow prisoners with the evangelistic team.

The jailer saw the doors open and he drew his sword and prepared to kill himself. Paul quickly yelled to him from within the prison cell telling the jailer they were still there and had not left. Yes, God had delivered them from the terrible circumstance. Yes, God had provided an exit to leave a terrible place, but they were still there.

Why didn’t Paul and Silas leave that place as quickly as they could? Why didn’t they run as soon as the earthquake opened the doors and their chains hit the floor? Why wasn’t their first reaction to be at least a block away by the time the jailer woke up and realized what had happened?

The answer is seen in what happened next. The jailer asked, “What must I do to be saved?” I hear him saying, “What do I need to do to have what you have?” The rest of the story tells how the jailer and his whole household were saved.

If Paul and Silas had run from the difficult situation as soon as possible, then the jailer would not have been given the opportunity for salvation. Could it be God wants us to sometimes stay in difficult situations to shine for Him? Could it be we shine our brightest for Him when things around us are the darkest? Could it be singing in prison can achieve more for God’s kingdom than running from prison even though the doors are open?

You may be in a difficult circumstance. It may be all you can think about is how to get out of your current conditions and be taken to a place of joy and peace and prosperity. On the other hand, God may want you to shine where you are. By “singing in your prison” you may achieve great things for God and touch others with your devotion to Jesus. Please remember, “The other prisoners were listening!”

Gary Rogers is senior pastor of First Assembly of God in Coweta, Okla.