October 25 Daily Devotional

Acts 16

As Paul and his coworkers were going through the streets of Philippi on their way to prayer, a certain damsel possessed of divination, a soothsayer, met them and followed Paul, saying, “These men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation. And this she did many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. And when her masters saw that the hope of their gain was gone, they caught Paul and Silas … and brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, and teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans. And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates. rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely.”

And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison was shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awakened out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his house, straightway … and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.”

When the rulers heard what had happened at the prison during the night, they sent word that Paul and Silas should be set free. “But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now they thrust us out privily? nay verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out.” These words frightened the rulers, as the law forbade any ruler to punish a Roman in this manner.

So they came and besought them, and brought them out, asking them to leave the city. But before they left they entered into the house of Lydia, comforting her and the other believers.