In Acts 16, we read about an enslaved woman possessed by a spirit that told the future. While Paul and Silas were walking around the city, this woman followed them. The spirit within her kept telling people to listen to Paul and Silas to learn how to be saved. This continued for a few days, and Paul got tired of it and cast the spirit out of the woman. Since the woman’s owners made money off this fortune-teller spirit, they got upset when it was cast out since their income was lost, so they incited a crowd to attack Paul and Silas. Eventually, Paul and Silas were severely flogged and imprisoned (Acts 16:16-24).

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. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”

Acts 16:25-28 (NIV)

When Paul and Silas prayed and sang hymns to God, they stood out amongst the other prisoners. After being severely beaten, most people would have been asleep or otherwise wallowed in their predicament. However helpless they were, they weren’t hopeless because of their faith in God.

Because Paul and Silas chose to worship the Lord, the other prisoners took note. Because they noticed and paid attention, they found something more valuable than their freedom from prison. Otherwise, when the doors opened, they would have fled.

While we know nothing about the other prisoners, we know that the faith and hope Paul and Silas had in God led to the jailer and his household being saved.

The prayers and worship we give to God in the dark can manifest in salvation, deliverance, and blessings we could not have imagined. This is why, no matter the circumstances, we should praise the Lord and continue to place our trust and hope in him.

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