The Sound of Deliverance • Daily Devo 171
Breaks Every Chain. Word Count: 1,819
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Today’s Devotional Scripture: 25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.
27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.
28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.
29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,
30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
- Acts 16:25-30
The Message For Today (September 24, 2024):
Audio Version Of This Devotional: The Sound of Deliverance Audio
Deliverance has a sound. Freedom and liberty carry a weight in the spirit. In this scripture, we see where Paul and Silas are locked in the inner prison and put in stockades. The guards are given the responsibility to keep them locked down fast. And so in that prison, in the inner prison, locked in the stockades, Paul and Silas begin to pray and sing praises unto God.
Now it says in verse 25 that the prisoners heard them, and that all of a sudden there was an earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bands were loosed. It's important to recognize that the weight of the worship and the prayer that went forth at midnight was magnified by the sheer fact that they could not move.
They were in the worst possible position. They were charged to be brought before judgment the next day. And literally, they decided to pray and praise. They decided to give glory unto God. They decided to operate in a level of faith and worship that literally shook the very foundations of the prisons that they were locked in.
Too often, the power of worship, prayer, and praise are undermined by people's lack of faith. It has become a show, a dance, a performance in the house of the Lord. But worship, prayer, and praise are not performances. These are acts of obedience and submission to God. They are acts of surrender to God. They are testaments to the human spirit as fueled by the Holy Spirit.
The grace to be able to worship in the most difficult situations is the grace of God. The power to get past your flesh, to recognize that you may be in the worst position possible, but to bless God nevertheless. Notice what you see here with Paul and Silas. You see them deciding to operate in a greater faith. You see them deciding to come into agreement with the King of glory.
They decided to worship the Lord in spite of what they were dealing with. This is the sound of deliverance. This is what is required when you are in situations that seem so far beyond your control that you don't know how God is going to change them. Surrounded on every side, yet you choose to bless God. You choose to praise him. You choose to worship.
There is a weight of glory that is released by your decision to operate in faith. We see this same thing happen to a different in 2 Chronicles. In the book of Chronicles, we see King Jehoshaphat is surrounded. 2 Chronicles chapter 20 in the King James Version opens up with a king to pass. After this also, the children of Moab and children of Ammon with them other besides the Ammonites came against Jehoshaphat to battle.
So the chapter opens up in verse 1 with a battle.
It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. - 2 Chronicles 20: KJV
The battle is being made clear. Jehoshaphat is being surrounded by enemies. So what they decide to do is gather them together. All of the cities of Judah came together and Jehoshaphat stood with them, Judah and Jerusalem and said, we are going to fast and we're going to pray. So in the scripture, we see that he says, don't be afraid. They decide to pray.
They decide to come together. They decide to fast and put their eyes on the Lord. So in their prayer, in their fasting, there was something that shifted. God responded to their cry. The Bible says, call on me and I will answer. This is Jeremiah 33:3 in the King James Version. That if we call on God, that he will answer. What if the prayer and the praise that happened in Acts was them calling on the Lord?
They were worshiping their God. They were releasing a sound. The shaking of the foundation was a response by God to their worship. The same that we see in 2 Chronicles 20. When they did that, when they decided to come together, to gather them together, to seek the Lord, to pray, there was a response. And in verse 14, the Spirit of the Lord came upon one of the lines of Jehaziel, the son of Zechariah.
14 Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the Lord in the midst of the congregation; - 2 Chronicles 20: KJV
In the midst of the congregation, he begins to speak the word of the Lord. This is the response from God. And he said, hearken ye all Judah, all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou King Jehoshaphat. Thus saith the Lord unto you, be not afraid, nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's.
So he goes forth and he continues to give them instruction. And so we see a layer of worship here and they're coming together to pray and seek the Lord. But then we see something else. After their prayer and after their seeking of the Lord, and after the Lord responded, they did, as instructed. They went out with the faith that this battle was not theirs, that it belonged to God. And when they rose to go to war in the morning, it was a little bit different.
In verse 21, it says, and when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say praise the Lord for his mercy endureth forever. So they begin to praise him. And when they begin to praise him, verse 22, it says that the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, which were come against Judah, and they were smitten.
Another story of worship being the key to deliverance. The sound of deliverance is not just singing. The sound of deliverance is worship that unlocks a response from heaven. It is worship that opens the door to breakthrough. It is worship that caused the ground to shake under the feet of Paul and Silas, and for all the doors to be opened and the bands to be loosed. It was the sound of deliverance. And what happens when you operate in the sound of deliverance?
When the sound of deliverance goes forth, you know it by your fruit. Immediately, instead of killing himself, Paul said, “Don't hurt yourself, we're all here.” The next thing that happened is the guard came in and said, “What must I do to be saved?” There was one that was added to the kingdom that day, but it was actually him and his whole family added to the kingdom when you continue in chapter 16.
When you read the remainder, you see that the family of the guard is now saved. So the fruit that came from that deliverance was sure. It wasn't just deliverance for those that worshiped. It wasn't just deliverance for those that heard. It was deliverance for those who were charged with keeping them in prison. It was deliverance for the prison guards. They were delivered. That's when you know you're operating in the sound of deliverance.
It doesn't just change you and your environment. It changes those who were meant to hold you captive and oppress you and keep you from being set free. What if your worship in this season didn't just bless you, it blessed your enemies? What if bystanders came into the weight of your worship and their lives begin to be transformed and their bands began to be loosed? The sound of deliverance is worship that you release from a submitted and surrendered heart.
This is not just noise. This is your soul releasing manna. It's releasing the thing that you were created to do. It's releasing submission. It's a submitted heart. It's the beautiful breaking that comes when you realize that you are not your own, that God has brought you into the place you're in now and has kept you by his mighty right hand. It's the worship that unlocks and becomes the sound of deliverance.
Be strong and courageous. Worship God in the midst of every circumstance and remember that with man, this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.
Closing Devotional Prayer
My prayer for you: Father, in the name of Jesus. Thank you. Thank you for the mighty woman of God. Thank you for this shift. Thank you for the oil of anointing. Thank you for the fire, God. Thank you for breaking everything that's not like you.
Lord, scatter the hand of the enemy. Allow the peace of God to go forth in a mighty, mighty way. You are God alone. You know what you're doing, God. Lord, have your way. I thank you, Lord, that the mighty woman of God is stepping into a different level of faith, but I pray that she releases the old in her.
She allows every old thing to pass away and she acknowledges you and all of her ways that you may direct her path. Lord, we're praying for direct instruction. Lord, we're praying, oh God, for the Holy Spirit to be empowered, to be outpoured, and to be refilled in our hearts.
We need more of you, Lord God. I thank you, Lord, and I give you glory for this refreshing, for this outpouring, and for this great grace. Allow her, oh God, to see herself fully embodied, fully free, and Lord, empower her to release worship that lines up with her destiny. I thank you, Lord, and I pray in Jesus' mighty name, Amen.
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