Day 9: What Must I Do to Be Saved?
Bible passage: Acts 16:16–34; Psalm 18:1–3
Midnight in Philippi
Today is Thursday 9th of January 2020. Welcome to Day 9 of our 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting. Today we turn our prayers outwards, to the people we love who do not yet know Jesus.
In Acts 16, Paul and Silas are in Philippi. They have set a slave girl free from an evil spirit, and for that they have been dragged before the authorities, beaten with rods and thrown into the inner cell of the prison with their feet in the stocks.
Saved and Set Free
Songs in the Night
Around midnight Paul and Silas are praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners are listening (Acts 16:25). Their backs are bleeding and their feet are fastened, and they worship.
Suddenly there is a great earthquake. The prison is shaken to its foundations, every door flies open and every chain falls off.
A Man at the End of Himself
The jailer wakes, sees the doors open and assumes that his prisoners have gone. He knows what that will cost him, and he draws his sword to take his own life. Paul shouts to him to stop, because they are all still there.
The jailer calls for lights, runs in and falls down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he asks the question that matters more than any other. What must he do to be saved (Acts 16:30)?
The Answer
“Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” Acts 16:31 (NLT)
They do not give him a list of things to achieve. They give him a Person to trust. To believe in Jesus is to stop relying on ourselves and to put our whole weight on Him.
A Whole Household
What happens next is beautiful. That same hour, the jailer washes their wounds. He and everyone in his household are baptised. He brings them into his home and sets a meal before them, and the whole household rejoices because they all believe in God (Acts 16:33–34).
A man who was in despair at midnight is full of joy before morning. No one is too far gone, and no situation is too dark.
The Lord Is My Rock
David knew the same rescuing God. He calls the Lord his rock, his fortress and his saviour, the One in whom he finds protection (Psalm 18:2). He called on the Lord, and he was saved from his enemies (Psalm 18:3).
Praying for Those We Love
Three Steps for Today
Write down five names. Think of family members, friends, neighbours and colleagues who need to be saved. Pray for each one by name today.
Worship in the dark. If you are in a hard place, sing anyway. Other people are listening.
Be ready with the answer. Could you tell somebody simply how to be saved? Practise saying it in a sentence or two.
If you have never put your own trust in Jesus, you can do it today. Tell Him that you believe, and then tell one of us. We would love to pray with you.
Prayer for Today:
Lord, You are my rock, my fortress and my saviour. Thank You for saving me. Today I bring You the people I love who do not yet know You. Open their eyes. Meet them in their midnight and bring them and their households to faith in Jesus. Give me courage to tell them about You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Keep going
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