Paul and Silas’s Earthquake Leads to Freedom
Paul and Silas’s Earthquake
David W. Palmer
(Acts 16:25–26 NKJV) “But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. (26) Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.”
Paul and Silas’s testimony here is amazing. They were imprisoned for preaching the gospel. But despite their squalid confinement and torture, they lived God’s hope of being David’s tabernacle wherever they were; they allowed the inner glory to be manifested through them. These courageous apostles gave a “sacrifice of praise” amid the most inhumane conditions: “at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God.” When they did, God inhabited their praise (Psalm 22:3), and His glory was manifested.
What were the results? Everyone present was freed from bondage, the jailer’s household received salvation, and a significant new church was birthed—the church at Philippi (See: Acts 16:25–33).
This all came about through a manifestation of glory; and this happened as individual believers allowed Christ in them to be manifest in glory through them—via their witness and sacrifice of praise. Paul and Silas were living God’s hope as expressed in the following Psalm; their tabernacle-of-David lifestyle led to many Gentiles seeing their actions and faith and trusting God. This was truly a resurrection of David’s tabernacle (Acts 15:16–17):
(Psalm 40:3 NKJV) “He has put a new song in my mouth; Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD.”
Paul’s confession
(Acts 24:14 NKJV) “But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets.”
(Philippians 3:3 NKJV) “For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.”
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Without doubt, the apostle Paul was a true worshipper of God in spirit and in truth: he believed “all things” written in God’s word; he worshipped God with new covenant worship. In other words, he worshipped—fell prostrate before his God—with his spirit man. Accordingly, he said that he “served” God with his spirit:
(Romans 1:9 NKJV) “For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers.”
Yielding to God from our heart—the centre of who we are—is what true worship is all about. Paul did that; like Jeremiah and Jonah, he obeyed God’s directive to offer a sacrifice of praise no matter what circumstance he was in (See: Jer. 33:11):
(Jonah 2:9–10 NET) “But as for me, I promise to offer a sacrifice to you with a public declaration of praise; I will surely do what I have promised. Salvation belongs to the LORD!” {10} Then the LORD commanded the fish and it disgorged Jonah on dry land.
Jonah gave his sacrifice of praise when he was hopelessly incarcerated in the hellish dungeon of the fish’s stomach. When he did, the fish not only “disgorged” him; it put him back onto “dry land,” en route to his destiny in God.
Wow! I want to encourage you today, no matter what squalid circumstance you are in or what horrid thing has you confined; be the tabernacle of David everywhere you are, and in whatever situations you find yourself. Keep your tent flaps open, and allow God to manifest his glory as he inhabits your continuous praise.
Finally, bearing in mind that praise is only a “sacrifice” when we don’t want to, or don’t feel like, doing it; the following is what the Holy Spirit says to us. (Remember, one of God’s objectives is that “many will see it and trust in the Lord.” And he wants to keep you en route to your destiny.)
(Hebrews 13:15 NKJV) “Therefore by Him (Jesus) let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.”
This is not mere poetry or a comforting saying; this is an instruction from the Prince of life; obey it and walk in his life, safety, provision and manifest presence. This can lead to your chains falling off and in the freeing of those around you also.