American humorist Mark Twain once said: “There is something you learn by picking up a cat by the tail that you can learn no other way.” Those who have been foolish enough to try to control a cat by force know exactly what Twain was talking about.
When reading today’s story about the imprisonment of Paul and Silas, I wonder if the jailer would say: “There is something you learn by trying to contain the Holy Spirit that you can learn no other way.”
Watching the Holy Spirit work so powerfully through these two missionaries, the people of Philippi were so disturbed that they attack them (Acts 16:22-34).
“…the magistrates had them stripped and ordered them to be beaten rods. After inflicting many blows on them, they threw them into prison and instructed the jailer to guard them securely. When he received these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and secured their feet to a stake.”
They succeeded in grabbing the Holy Spirit by the tail. They beat these two humble missionaries with “many blows” expecting to drive out all there ambition. Then they “threw” them into a dark, miserable prison. To top things off, the jailer decided to put an extra few nails in their “casket” by shoving them into the “innermost cell” where the most dangerous criminals were assigned and chain them to a stake. No way the Holy Spirit could get out of this!
Then we read part two of the story.
“About midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God as the prisoners listened, there was suddenly such a severe earthquake that the foundations of the jail shook; all the doors flew open, and the chains of all were pulled loose.”
The “cat” began to react. The earth itself fought back by releasing a “severe” earthquake that was so powerful it caused the doors of the jail to fly open and the chains of “all” the criminals to tear loose! Not only did the Holy Spirit free the two harmless “rabble rousers” but all the other prisoners as well.
It is important to notice that even in the innermost prison, at midnight, when they were exhausted from the severe beating, these two men were amazingly free. Nothing could contain the power of the Holy Spirit in them. If they weren’t allowed to have a prayer meeting outside the jail, they would have one inside the jail. They sang, praised God, and evangelized the hardened criminals! Though their bodies were tied down, their spirits released power in that dark, hopeless situation. Criminals were won to Christ! No containing the Holy Spirit!
Watching his prison blow apart, the jailer went into despair. He knew that this would cost him not only his job but his life.
“When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, thinking the prisoners had escaped.”
If this were a Hollywood movie, the story would end here, with Paul, Silas, and the rest of the prisoners, shouting as they ran out of the prison into freedom.
But, we remember it was the Holy Spirit directing the operation. After the noise and violence, a calm descended upon the prisoners and the jailers. Peace and mercy began to flow through that jail. The Holy Spirit kept order through gentle love without the help of chains and prison walls. Paul assured the jailer that no one would escape and he wouldn’t lose his job. Then a great “Holy Spirit” miracle took place. The jailer was “convicted” by God. He fell down before Paul and Silas and cried out:
“What must I do to be saved?”
This whole ordeal took place so that even the hated jailer and his household could be saved by giving their lives to the Lord Jesus. The story ends with people rejoicing around the jailer’s dinner table.
“He brought them up into his house and provided a meal and with his household rejoiced at having come to faith in God.”
What a beautiful Holy Spirit story. What started in violence and despair ended up in salvation and peace, as the jailer and criminals shared dinner together.
Does this not convince us of what the Holy Spirit can do in even the worse situations? Aren’t our difficulties as nothing compared to what Paul and Silas faced? Are we using our Holy Spirit power?
Come Holy Spirit, help us to sing, praise, and evangelize in all our circumstances.
“I will send you the Spirit of truth…he will guide you…” (John 16:7,13).
