“And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.” (Acts 16:34)
Here we have a happy ending to a terrible ordeal. It’s hard to believe that less than twenty verses ago, Paul and Silas were arrested, beaten, and thrown into jail. Yet already, God has brought about the very thing this whole ordeal was for—His glory. By the way, that’s what everything is about.
What led to the strengthening of Paul’s and Silas’s faith, the open door of the gospel, and the conversion of an entire household in the new Christian mission in Philippi? It was suffering. It was the cross these men took up as they followed Jesus right into the innermost dungeon—because there, they would find the man who had a burning question in his heart: “What must I do to be saved?”
Do you know what always comes before birth? Pain and suffering. And from that pain comes life. That seems to be true in the work of people being born into the family of God as well. God calls us to uncomfortable places, dangerous places, even to the deepest, darkest places in this world—because down there are people with this question burning in their hearts: “What must I do to be saved?” All the tears and hurt that brought you to their doorstep fade in that moment, and suddenly, it all becomes clear. This was not an accident or a mere injustice. It was the sovereignty of God that placed you in that dungeon, so that these people could hear and believe—and God would be glorified.
The following day, Paul was released from his prison cell. But I would remind you—he had the opportunity to free himself just hours earlier. And who could have blamed him if he had run? After all, God was the one who shook the earth and broke down the walls of the cell. It seemed only logical to flee. But thank God, he didn’t. He stayed. And because he stayed, this family was born into the family of God.
We, too, must be careful not to escape our sufferings too quickly. We are often eager to alleviate our discomforts, but what if just a few more hours of endurance means everything to a lost soul? Wait to be released. Don’t seek to release yourself. You’ll be glad you did.
I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that Paul bore scars from encounters like these. The whips of Roman soldiers surely left their mark. But there are also deeper scars—the kind no one sees. Paul’s life was full of them, and if you serve the Lord for any length of time, yours will be too.
I wonder, when Paul looked at the scars from that night, did he think of the injustice done to him, or of the little family that came to Christ? I can guarantee you—those scars reminded him of the latter. If we will wait on God, our scars can serve as reminders of His sovereignty and purpose in our suffering, rather than just memories of injustice and pain. While we are receiving the stripes, we ask why. But when those sufferings deliver us to the doorstep of a lost soul whom we can point to Jesus—well, the glory of that moment far outweighs the pain that brought us there.
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