Acts 16:23 And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: 25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. 26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. 27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.
These verses of scripture, recounting the experiences of Paul and Silas in Roman captivity, are pregnant with important information as it pertains to listening for, and obeying the voice of God. It was in obedience to Christ's command of fulfilling the gospel commission, that the two disciples were thus arrested and jailed, but instead of whining and complaining about the cruel treatment they received, Paul and Silas instead sang praises unto God for His goodness and kindness towards them, a mode of thought and action which we would do well to adopt when faced with similar circumstances. Let's read:
Matthew 5:10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
However, it is worthy of note that the providence of God in this instance, was almost certainly pointing to imminent deliverance from captivity, for the great earthquake which occurred, and the miraculous opening of the doors of the prison, seemed to suggest that God was thereby giving leave for His servants to run free from their captors. But for some reason Paul and Silas stayed, even when the providence of God seemed to be to the contrary. The question then for us is, why would they stay, when all the circumstances pointed to their deliverance?
The answer has to do with listening for the voice of God in any and every situation, even at times when His providence seems to have opened up the way for us to go in a specific direction. Although it is good to have spiritual discernment, and to be able to understand and see spiritual things, yet it is of critical importance that we do not make any ill-advised moves, that are based solely on what may seem to be the providence of God. Until The Lord gave them a definite green light, by speaking to them with His voice, they were to stay put, even though they may have been tempted to believe that this was indeed a golden opportunity for escape.
It is often the case in our own personal experiences, that when God has opened up a way for us to walk in, that we rush ahead before waiting for His definite direction. This is what had occurred with Joshua, early up in his experiences as leader of the twelve tribes of Israel, for although God had given them promised land, yet they were to wait for His definite guidance in moving forward with the advance on Ai, and under no circumstances were they to make that move without hearing His voice, clearly and distinctly saying "Go forward".
If Paul and Silas had moved upon what may have seemed as God's providential working for their escape, the jailor and his family might have never been baptized, and by running away to save self, they would have left precious souls behind in darkness, who may have never come to a knowledge of God. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which teaches us to wait upon God for His guidance and direction in the various experiences of life, for by so doing, many a soul can be saved, and we ourselves might also be spared unnecessary heartache and problems, which could have been otherwise avoided. Let's read:
Isaiah 40:30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!