24 and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25 Now about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them;
26 and 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 unfastened.
This is really a great portion of scripture. Picture yourself stranded in prison with Paul and Silas. That’s how most of us would view it, we are doomed here in prison. We would probably say things like ‘Man I can’t believe that we are in prison, this is a terrible day, nothing good can come from this situation.
Look at how Paul and Silas look at the same situation completely different than we would. They actually used their situation to change the situation. That's right I said it, they actually used their situation to change their situation.
Here’s what I mean.
They realized where they were, they saw it, heard it, smelled Tim, etc... but they used that situation to spark them to praise and worship God. They were giving thanks IN all situations, just as the Bible says. Prayer and praise are game-changers or in this case, the situation changes. Remember when you are in a difficult situation pray and praise your way out. Change how you see and respond to your ever-changing surroundings with praise. Just like Paul and Silas, decide this is a great place for a praise and worship session to breakout.