A Prayer Meeting

Acts 16:16-34
Acts 12:5-16
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Prayer may be spoken or silent.  Prayer may include praise, confession, thanksgiving, repentance, or meditation.  Prayers may be offered on behalf  of one’s self or another person.    From the early times there has been praying for the needy.  Right now, we definitely need to be praying for the needy.  Prayer has always been at the center of worship of God.
 
In this passage Paul was on one of his missionary journeys, along with Silas.  As it says: And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
 
This young lady was demonically possessed - she was being possessed by a demon.
 
This young lady, possessed by a demon, followed Paul and Silas saying: “These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.”
 
Now those things were true but she kept on and on and on and it irritated Paul.   So Paul turned around and rebuked that spirit within her and the spirit of divination (or fortune telling) came out.  The people that were making money off of her fortune telling got mad so they took Paul before the magistrate.
 
They had Paul and Silas stripped of their clothing, beaten and thrown into prison.  The scripture says they were thrust into the inner prison and their feet were fastened into stocks -  in other words they had shackles on them.
 
The 25th verse says And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
 
A Prayer Meeting
 
As Paul and Silas began to sing and began to pray it says the prisoners heard them.  Paul and Silas could have been bitter - they could have been like some of us. But instead they are singing and praying in prison.
 
When we begin to pray and praise God things will happen.  There is evidence in the scriptures.  For example, we can look in the 12th chapter of Acts.  Peter was in jail and prayer was made for him.  While this prayer meeting was going on Peter’s bands fell off.  And the angel touched him in the side and told him to “Get up and gird up yourself”.
 
Peter walked out of jail and didn’t know that it was an angel until he got past the iron gates that lead out of the city.  And then Peter went to the prayer meeting and walked in while they were offering up prayers for him.
 
Prayer is essential to a believer’s life. I mean there is so much technology now that allows us to communicate.  But there is only one way that we can get to God and that is through prayer and praise.  Sometimes if you don’t have the words to pray just begin to lift your hands and praise and magnify God.  Just begin to worship God and just watch and see what happens.  I guarantee you there will begin to be a movement of God’s Spirit upon you.
 
You’ve got prayer and you’ve got praise.
 
Maybe Paul told Silas “You go on and pray, I’m going to sing”.
 
Verse 26 says as they begin to pray there came a great earthquake and everyone’s bands were loosed, even the other prisoners’.  When they heard them singing they probably said “What’s wrong with those guys up there in cell 1, back there in that dungeon part of the cell, why don’t they be quiet man - I’m trying to sleep!”  But when the earthquake came, the doors were opened and everybody’s bands fell off.  Nobody tried to get out – nobody tried to run away.
 
Even the jailer ran in after he was awakened out of sleep.  When he found out what happened he drew his sword and was going to kill himself. He knew that if the prisoners were gone he was going to be executed so he was going to commit suicide -  he was going to thrust his sword probably into his heart and kill himself.   But the scripture tells us Paul said “Do thy self no harm; for we all are here”.  Not only that but then the jailer came to them crying  “What must I do to be saved?”
 
We’re talking about a Roman jailer is crying out; he is wanting to be saved.  There is somebody right now that wants to be saved and that’s all they got to do is cry out. 
 
These men were put in prison and now the jailer is asking them how to be saved.  Paul’s answer is to say “Believe on the Lord...”.  He tells the jailer not only will he be saved but even his household.  This jailer takes them out, washes their wounds, feeds them, and it says that he and his family were baptized straightway.
 
A Prayer Meeting
 
It would be awesome if all of us came together.  If there is a need I believe that if the people of God were to come together on one accord I believe that need would be met.  Things happen when people of God come together.  When the people of God pray and when they are on one accord things will happen.
 
This nation that we live in needs healing.  I believe that the people of God can come together for healing.  I believe it will happen one day regardless of denomination or church or color.
 
I believe the day will come when a united church will come together in this nation and I believe when that happens we’re gonna see the hand of God move in this nation that we live in. Right now, we don’t see it moving like it should move.  We see pockets of folks - little pocket here, little spark over here -  but I believe we will come together.  I believe that one day this nation is going to come together as it says “One nation under God “.
 
May God allow us all to see that great “Prayer Meeting” and watch the move of God.

​~J. T.