I heard a sermon this weekend about a jailer who took extra steps to secure Paul and Silas during their imprisonment. They were considered high-profile prisoners, and it was an important assignment for the jailer to keep them in the deepest dungeon.
But that night an earthquake struck, and all the cell doors sprung open. The chains fell off the arms and legs of the prisoners. The jailer woke up during the chaos. Assuming the prisoners had escaped, he wanted to kill himself.
Paul said, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!”
At that moment the jailer asks Paul and Silas what he must do to be saved. Their response: “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household” (Acts 16:31).
Set It Free
It was interesting to hear how the jailer was set free.
I thought about how often we are the jailer, taking extra precautions to keep some places in our lives hidden in the darkest, deepest dungeons. But those are the places we need God to enter the most. Those are the places we pray for Jesus to enter into and fling open the doors and throw off the shackles. Those are the places we need to be saved in the eyes of God.
It’s time to set the jailer free.