About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!" The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" - Acts 16:25-30
Just as God never fails to use our trials for good, God also uses our responses to turn a bad situation into a good one. The effect of Paul and Silas’ responses to their torture was so stunning that even when the prison doors flew open, the other prisoners refused to leave. Imagine that! They’d rather stay in jail with the people who could find joy in a prison cell than return to their lives outside their cells. The jailer was so moved by what he saw that he became a Christian moments later. Our trials aren’t just about us. When we see that God is using our trials to help others, it can give us the confidence to continue trusting God even though the pain is still real.
Ask God to show you how he’s used your reactions to problems and trials to help others.
Try to look beyond your own pain and see how God can use you in the midst of it.
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