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! Acts 16:25-26
Whenever I ask someone a question, whether in person, through a phone call, or through an email, I ask in confident expectation that the receiver of that question will respond. I ask these questions expecting that the person I ask is going to listen or read my question and that they will respond to my request. Now, the person may say "no" or have another suggestion regarding my request, but I expect a response. It is the same when we pray. When we pray, we are praying to the God of the universe. He is listening, and He will respond. In other words, when we pray, we can expect God to move, especially in our underdog situations.
We find in Acts 16 that Paul and Silas were facing a dire situation. They had been beaten and arrested because of their faith in God. As they were imprisoned and bound in chains, they could have easily given in to fear or panicked. Instead, they prayed. They also praised God by singing hymns and songs. As they prayed and praised, God responded. He sent an earthquake that broke the chains of all the prisoners, including Paul and Silas (verse 26). They turned to God, and He responded to their prayer. Now, it is important to note that God may not always respond in the way we expect or even hope, but we can always expect that He will respond in the way that is best. We can trust Him, even when His response is different than we hoped.
When we are in our own underdog situations, we must pray and praise God. In our most difficult times and circumstances, we must turn to God. We can come to Him in the most difficult circumstances that we face. In fact, we must turn to Him during these times. And, when we pray, we can expect His response. It may not be the response we want, but we can trust that His response is best because He is working out all things for our good and His glory. He will work through every underdog situation that we face.
What is the underdog situation that you are facing? What are you facing where it seems like all of the odds are stacked against you? Pray. Ask God to fight for you and intervene. Ask for His protection and guidance. Believe He hears you and will respond. Then, praise God. Listen to your favorite praise song and praise God for all He has done for you.
Paul and Silas in Prison
One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit that enabled her to tell the future. She earned a lot of money for her masters by telling fortunes. She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.”
This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And instantly it left her.
Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace. “The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!” they shouted to the city officials. “They are teaching customs that are illegal for us Romans to practice.”
A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.
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!
