The Power To Sing

THE POWER TO SING

a prayer to open

Holy Spirit, come. Center my heart.

Fill my mind. Guide my steps.

Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!”

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?”

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 and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God.

The next morning the city officials sent the police to tell the jailer, “Let those men go!” So the jailer told Paul, “The city officials have said you and Silas are free to leave. Go in peace.”

But Paul replied, “They have publicly beaten us without a trial and put us in prison—and we are Roman citizens. So now they want us to leave secretly? Certainly not! Let them come themselves to release us!”

When the police reported this, the city officials were alarmed to learn that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. So they came to the jail and apologized to them. Then they brought them out and begged them to leave the city. When Paul and Silas left the prison, they returned to the home of Lydia. There they met with the believers and encouraged them once more. Then they left town.

The story of Paul and Silas in prison is filled with supernatural happenings. First, Paul and Silas—after having been stripped, beaten with rods, and fastened to a prison cell floor—prayed and sang hymns to God. Where did they find the courage, strength, and hope to do this other than by the presence of the Holy Spirit? Second, a violent earthquake shook the prison and caused the doors to open and the shackles to release. How did this happen other than by the power of the Holy Spirit? Third, the jailer and his entire family believed in Jesus upon hearing the word of the Lord. Who could have turned a Roman jailer’s heart to Christ other than the Holy Spirit?

• Read this passage again. What word or phrase stands out to you? Sit quietly, reminding yourself that you are in God’s loving presence, and ask him to show you how that word or phrase connects to your life.
• In what areas do you need the courage and strength to sing hymns to God? What hymn or song could capture your sorrow and pain or help remind you of who God is and how he has acted in the past?
• Is there anything holding you in shackles—a relationship, an addiction, a temptation, pain, something else? Invite the Holy Spirit’s power into that situation. What is your role in breaking free?

Father, thank you for the presence and power of your Holy Spirit. I pray that I would be aware of the areas in which I need each of these and be able to call out to you for help. I want to be able to sing hymns and songs to you with courage and hope, even in my darkest moments. I want to be freed from everything that keeps me from loving and serving you and others fully. And I want to be guided each and every moment into the life you offer. I open my heart to you anew. Amen.