Acts 16

Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. ‭‭Acts‬ ‭16‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Sometimes the Holy Spirit will guide us in ways that we do not expect.  Paul must have wondered why the Holy Spirit was preventing him from preaching the Gospel in Asia.  After all, it is God’s will that the Gospel should be preached everywhere.  However, it is clear from this passage of Scripture that this was not the right time, so God directed Paul and his companions on to Philippi and Macedonia instead.  The Gospel was eventually preached in Asia, as we will read later on in Acts: “This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord” (Acts 19:10).  It appears that in this passage, the issue was timing.  We should remember that God’s timing is perfect, and our lives will be so much more peaceful and fruitful if we say to God “My times are in Your hands” (Psalms 31:15).  The Holy Spirit guides us and works in the same way that He did during Paul’s lifetime.  He may speak to us through a Bible passage, a dream, a vision, an idea or a thought.  Our job is to constantly be listening for Him and to have willing and obedient hearts for whatever we hear.  When He is guiding us, we will know it is Him because it will match what He tells us in the Bible, and we will have a sense of inner peace about the situation and the decisions that need to be made.  Today, pray that you will be sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit, and that your heart will desire to follow His guidance, even if it is not what you had planned for your life.

Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her. When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.” The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 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!” The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household. When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.” The jailer told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭16‬:‭16‬-‭36‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This account is the perfect example of choosing joy and keeping your focus on God, instead of allowing your thought life to be overrun by negativity, self-pity, and hopelessness.  Paul and Silas continued to praise God and pray faithfully despite having to endure painful beatings and an unfair imprisonment.  When Paul was imprisoned yet again later on in life, he wrote from his jail cell in Rome, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).  This is an easy scripture to memorize and start using right away, no matter what type of circumstance you are currently facing.  There is power released when you express this type of supernatural joy that can only come from God.  Following the examples of Paul and Silas may lead to amazing changes in your life:

1.  A miraculous event may occur in your life to pull you out of a seemingly hopeless situation.  God caused an incredible phenomenon to happen that led to Paul and Silas being set free.  Have faith that “…the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials…” (2 Peter 2:9).  Make sure to trust His perfect timing as well.

2. You will always have the strength and the tools necessary to persevere in the midst of any trial.  Of course if it were up to us, we would rather have the miracle rather than having to suffer through a challenging time.  But the reality is that God is in control and He knows what is best for us.  He knows that rescuing us each time we have trouble will not help to build our faith or character.  So even when we are made to endure difficulties in life, we gain maturity and strengthen our faith in the process: “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 5:3-4).   

3. You may have the opportunity to lead others into a relationship with Jesus.  In this story, the jailer was saved, along with his entire family, because he saw the amazing joy that Paul and Silas had…and he wanted it!  You are equipped through the blood of Jesus Christ to be the light in this world, no matter what is occurring.  Joy is contagious.  Feel free to spread it around to everyone you meet!