The Work of Salvation Which Occurred at That Hour of the Night

Once when Paul and Silas were going to the place of prayer, they were met by a slave girl who had an evil spirit in her. The girl followed Paul and his companions and kept crying out for many days. Then Paul drove out the evil spirit from her in the name of Jesus Christ. When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone because she was unable to work as a fortune-teller anymore, they seized Paul and Silas and conspired to get them in trouble, and the two apostles were thrown into prison.

Paul and Silas were put in the inner cell and their feet were fastened in the stocks (a wooden device that immobilized a prisoner). About midnight, they were praying and singing hymns to God. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose.

The jailor woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he thought the prisoners had escaped. For fear of punishment, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself.

“Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”

Startled by Paul’s shout, the jailor called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.

“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”

Paul and Silas spoke the word of God to the jailor and to all the others in his house.

At that hour of the night, the jailor and his whole family were baptized and they were filled with joy because they had come to believe in God.

Nothing happens without God’s will. When something occurs, we may not understand why it happens right away, but we come to find out later that it is in accordance with the profound plan and counsel of God. Who on earth could know that the work of salvation would occur at that hour of the night in the prison where Paul and Silas were confined after being falsely accused?

Wherever we are, whatever happens, let us fear God with absolute faith in God. The place where we are going through hardships now can be a gospel field where the work of salvation occurs. This is why God told us to “be joyful always, pray continually and give thanks in all circumstances.”