Featured Guest Blog - Bread Today

I was reading my husband's blog today and I just loved his devotion on this passage so I thought that I would feature his devotion on my blog today! Enjoy...

But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.Acts 16:25-26 NKJV

As I meditated on this passage I was struck with the way scripture connected prayer and worship with destroying the prison, opening doors and loosing the captives. These men had been imprisoned for setting a demonized woman free from her spiritual bondage that was being used to profit her masters’ wallet. They had been seized by the crowd and drug before the magistrates only to be beaten by the crowd, beaten with rods by the magistrates’ order and then locked in stocks by the jailer without any of their rights being observed.

As Paul and Silas lay in the prison on their wounded backs, they prayed and sang and their fellow prisoners were listening to them. When we worship in Spirit and in truth others are opened to the presence of the Lord. The prisoners wanted to know about a God who inspired singing and praying after being unfairly treated.

Then the foundation of the prison was shaken. As we praise and worship God we too are shaking the prison we and those around us are trapped in. We are God’s ambassadors to the captives around us. They ministered to God and the other prisoners were effected too. Worship is foundational. It changes things at root level.

Immediately the doors were opened because God is interested in getting us out of bondage and not just improving our jail. He intends to set us free not make our prison comfortable. He wants us to be moved beyond what limits us in Him even the comfort zones.

And everyone’s chains were loosed! Whom the Son sets free is free indeed. Jesus desires our complete freedom. His plan isn’t just to make our lives tolerable or better than they were. Jesus told us His plan was for abundant life now.

Freed By Worship,

Pastor Jason

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