I want you to seriously consider this picture for a moment. The Bible says here that all the chains fell off all of the prisoners, not just Paul and Silas. That means all of the unbelieving prisoners had their perfect chance to escape. But did they? No! They stayed with Paul and Silas. One of the most amazing sentences in the Bible is - We are all here! The same is true in our life as well. When the people in our lives see the result of our faith they will want to stay with us as well. Not only that; but the most hardened carnal unbeliever will drop to his knees and ask how he can get what we have:
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: 29-30 (NLT)
Our temporal problems are never as severe as the eternal problem our unsaved loved ones are facing every day. One day their life will be required of them and they will stand before Jesus. There is no more powerful witnessing tool than a life bowed before God while standing before the fiery furnace and then watching God do the impossible. How powerful?
They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household." And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household. Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. He brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God. - Acts 16: 31-34 (NLT)
This jailer, who was going to kill himself when he thought his prisoners had escaped instead walked away that day as a precious child of God; as well as his family!. Remember, in all likelihood he participated in the beating of Paul and Silas. His cruelty was met with mercy. His sin with grace. That is the plan of God beloved.
I do not know where this writing finds you today. I know the valley I walk through. I am not suggesting that these lessons are easily applied in our lives. Our problems are real and pretending to be super-spiritual will not help us. I know that some of these valleys run so deep and that they seemingly have no end. Believe me I know. The final lesson for today however comes from the beginning of the key verses. It was at the midnight hour that Paul and Silas were delivered. Maybe God was waiting for the other prisoners to realize what they were hearing from the inner dungeon because as it turned out, the prison experience for Paul and Silas ended up being about more than themselves. Whatever the reason, God is saying to us today that we can wait until the midnight hour. We can wait until it seems as if there is simply no more hope left in our tank. We can wait until the last possible second and God can still come through. We do not need to fear the midnight hour - we need to embrace it. We need to turn even more to God in the midnight hour not walk away from Him. His ways are so far above our ways that we cannot possibly understand what is going on in the heavenlies. The final message for us today is this:
I'm gonna wait til the midnight hour - because God is still God.
