“…and the prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25b

Sooner or later we all have to learn that being saved by faith in Christ does not make us exempt from adversity in life! The spirits of discouragement and despair are always lurking nearby just waiting to attack when problems arise. Fortunately for us, people like the apostle Paul learned how to deal with these circumstances, and both his writing and experience under the anointing of the Holy Spirit are instruction and guidance for us today.
One day Paul and his missionary companions were falsely accused, illegally arrested, beaten severely and thrown into the deepest cell in a prison. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, all the prison cell doors were opened and their chains were unfastened. Miraculously, none of the prisoners even attempted to escape! Why didn’t the murderers, thieves, arsonists, rapists, etc. escape? The answer is found in Acts 16:25. When Paul and Silas could have been complaining about the painful and unjust things that had been done to them, instead they prayed and sang songs of praise to God, and all the while “…the prisoners were listening to them!”
Sometimes Christians wonder if their life is counting. They are not seeing people publicly coming to Christ, lives being changed before their eyes, etc. Never forget the old adage, “You are the only Bible someone is reading!” And people especially observe how we react to adversity! Anyone can be happy when things are going well, but the person without Christ wants to know if Jesus Christ makes a difference when things go bad.
Remember Christian, the prisoners are listening to you…
Jon Moore