The Best Worst Day

Acts 16:31 “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

What a day this has been!

It started out just like any other day. I got up early and proceeded to take care of all the daily chores that are regularly done in any Roman prison. I checked on all the prisoners and brought them their food (if you can call that slop food).

I hate this job! It disgusts me to even look at these rejects of humanity being housed in this underground “house of darkness.” The stench of human waste is overpowering and I get in and out as quickly as I can. All these men sitting in their own filth waiting for the government to decide what to do with them. In my opinion this is a fate worse than death.

You can see the flames of anger in the prisoners eyes burn down to just cold embers as time passes and they begin to recognize there is not much hope for them to be restored quickly to humanity. That’s what this place does to people.

But today something strange happened. I heard a commotion in the center of town. The primal screams of men being beaten reverberated throughout the streets and I knew that I was about to receive more victims to my holding tank. Sure enough, two men were hauled to the door and I was commanded to guard them securely. The officials didn’t need to worry about that. I guard all my prisoners securely knowing that the punishment for an escape is my own life.

Eyeing these two scrappy, middle-aged men I was surprised to see something different in their eyes. There seemed to be a kind of peace and acceptance of their circumstances, as if this sojourn in my jail were a privilege. I quickly dismissed this brief thought as I snapped the stocks over their bloody ankles. “They will soon lose their confidence,” I thought. But was I ever wrong!

Around midnight I heard what sounded like singing coming from the bowels of the prison. I couldn’t make out the words but it was definitely some type of song about their God. Who could be thinking about a god when locked in a living hell? I didn’t have much time to think about it because all around me the ground started shaking. It was like the earth was angry that it had been forced to hold these men within its belly. I ran to the locked doors to check on the prisoners, but they were wide open. Peering into the darkness my heart melted in fear. I could sense more than see the empty chains dangling from the walls.

Reading the writing on the wall, I knew that my fate awaited me just beyond those doors. I would be blamed for the prisoners’ escape and then tortured and executed in their place. There was only one thing to do. I grabbed my sword and pressed the tip to my throat. But as I tried to gain the courage to make the final thrust I heard the loud voice of one of the new prisoners. “Don’t harm yourself, we are all here!”

I lost my grip on the sword and it clattered to the stone floor in my surprise. I called for torches, and as my eyes adjusted to the dim light given by the flickering flames, I saw that he was right. Every prisoner was in his place – not one was missing.

At that moment I realized that even in their stocks these men were truly free. I was the real prisoner. A prisoner of my guilt. A prisoner of my failures. A prisoner in the torture chamber of my inadequacy. I wanted what these two men had, so I ran to them and threw myself into the filth at their feet, begging them to share with me the secret to their peace.

Their answer was simple. “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” They then began to speak to me about this God whom they served. A God who was so powerful He could shake the very earth He created to set them free from a secure Roman prison. I was convinced that what they said was true. I had seen it with my own eyes. Their trust and faith in the Almighty One was so great that they could rejoice even in the midst of their pain. So I brought them into my living quarters, fed them, and washed their wounds. I just had to know more.

After listening intently to their unbelievable message I finally realized that these two men, even while sitting in a house of darkness, had more light and freedom than I ever had. It was what I wanted. So I cast my fate with these men and allowed them, that very hour, to baptize me and my household. From now on we would worship their God – my God.

I can hardly contain myself. My life has been changed forever all because two brave and obedient men chose to rejoice and praise their God in the worst of circumstances. May I spend the rest of my days following in their footsteps. This worst day of my life has now become the best I could ever hope for. Praise be to the God of Paul and Silas who is now my God and Savior!

When locked in the prison of your circumstances thank and praise your heavenly Father! You never know what He will do to release you and whose life will be changed because of your faith.

Love,

Mama