But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.                Acts 16:25

          I have read the story of Paul and Silas in prison many times. But, as I read it this morning, it felt like the script of an action movie.  Think about it.  These men had been beaten, and not only were they put in a jail cell, they were bound by chains, and they had a man standing guard over them.  Pretty tight security, wouldn’t you say?  Now add the fact that it is midnight and the men were praying and singing.  Really? That sure doesn’t seem realistic!  I could imagine myself praying. But singing?  Probably not.  Next comes the action part.  Suddenly there came a great earthquake.  The foundations of the prison house were shaken, the cell doors flew open, and everyone’s chains fell off.  This would be the part in the action movie where the background music would become louder and faster.  It would cause our heart to beat faster and our breathing to be labored as we relate to what is happening to these characters we have come to identify with.   This is only a movie.  Right?  These things don’t happen in real life!  

          And yet, they did!  

          Notice how calm Paul and Silas were.  The prison guard knew he would be held responsible if he allowed their escape. Paul and Silas knew it as well.  Instead of looking out for themselves and making a mad dash to the exit, they stayed. They told the guard not to harm himself and they led him to know the God they served; the One who caused the earth to shake, the prison doors to open, and the chains to fall off.  They told him about their Lord and their God who could put a song in their hearts even in the midst of such unjust pain and suffering.  The movie…. I mean the text, ends with the guard getting saved.  It’s better than a Hallmark movie ending when we read that the guard took Paul and Silas to his house, the whole family believed in God, and they sat down to a meal together (as soft, soothing music plays in the background and we sit there with a smile on our faces and joy in our hearts).    Does the phrase, “Truth is stranger than fiction,” come to mind?

          Let’s circle back to our text and look at the last part again: “But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.” You may be thinking, “Of course they were listening.  What else could they do?”  It was likely a small building and all who were there had to hear them.  But, as we all know, there is a big difference between hearing and listening.  (Just ask any married couple!)  I think the guard really heard the sincerity of their hearts as Paul and Silas talked to God and sang praises to Him.  His heart was made ready to hear about how the God of Paul and Silas could become his God.  

          Sometimes a movie comes along that changes the way we see things.  I pray that this story that reads like a movie script has caused you to hear and see the One True God: 

           Jesus Christ –(The Only) Superstar. 

          *If you have not read the Bible, it is full of “truth stranger than fiction” stories.  Don’t miss out on reading the best selling book of all time, and the greatest love story ever written.