I think everybody has felt it before- the dull pang in your heart that makes you want to scream out, “Please Lord tell me what your will for my life is!”. It is a longing that seems to be unquenchable at times. It’s as if we become a prisoner inside our very skins- confined inside our own sinful human nature. The quest for more, whether it be spiritually, mentally, or physically, can become an all-consuming desire. This is a dangerous pursuit indeed considering that it can cause us to break our focus on the important things in life; that is the ONE important thing in this life. As is the case with most ‘unquenchable’ longings, we find assurance and rest in the broken Lamb, Jesus Christ.
As I continue onward through the book of Acts in my daily devotions, I came across the story of Paul and Silas in prison. To the outward eye the duo’s predicament was an inherently bad one. Prison in those days was not the government-subsidized, stopping point of law-breakers as it is today. For a great many it was the unfortunate resting place before trial and possible execution. The prison cells were disease-ridden, the guards were brutal, and we can only speculate that the food was a good deal less-than-appetizing. But we have a God who does not adhere to our human standards of what is or isn’t an appropriate place to experience the majesty and grace of Christ Jesus. Our God saves people from the vilest of places- filthy, unruly, distasteful prison cells included. God shook the foundations of the prison so that the cell containing Paul and Silas was at once opened. As anyone can imagine, the guard was shattered to his core with what had just occurred; by human standards, this should not be happening.
And then the paradox- Paul and Silas tell the guard not to be afraid, that they will not flee the prison though their cell has been opened. The guard, taking this in, realizes something truly awesome- he is the prisoner, not the men standing before him. The guard then asks the right question, “What must I do to be saved?” Notice he doesn’t say, “What does God have in store for the rest of my life?” or “How am I possibly going to deal with this radical change?” He needs only to know that he has the assurance of salvation.
What an awesome God we serve that can turn prison guards into prisoners and prisoners into the redeemed. God has been making this incredibly clear in my own life- so often I fail in the area of placing my complete trust in the blood that washes my sins away. I get impatient about my future; I want to know the answers to all my little nagging questions: Who will I marry? How will I make it through final exams? How am I supposed to take care of all these expectations with so little time? But he kindly and gently reminds me that I need only ask one question, “What must I do to be saved?” Now that’s cool.
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