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Acts 16:27-40
When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” 29 And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. 34 Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.
35 But when it was day, the magistrates sent the police, saying, “Let those men go.” 36 And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Therefore come out now and go in peace.” 37 But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.” 38 The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens. 39 So they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and asked them to leave the city. 40 So they went out of the prison and visited Lydia. And when they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them and departed.
I remember vividly the feeling of relief that washed over me on that spring late morning. We had taken our youngest son for a test to determine whether he had Cystic Fibrosis disease (CF). He had been born with a condition that 99.999% of the time indicates CF. After several weeks, when the child is old enough to sweat, the sweat chloride test is given. The results of that test in our case were negative. And when medical tests come back with a negative result, it’s almost always good news. This was remarkably good news. And I was greatly relieved and deeply thankful. We said a prayer of thanks then and there. Heartfelt. Sincere. Joy-filled.
Perhaps you can remember a time you were deeply thankful. A birth of a child. A family gathered around the table at Thanksgiving. Everyone together at Christmas. A much needed raise or promotion. A wedding or baptism. A home sold. Your prayers ascend to God in sincerity and truth.
When was the last time you’ve been thankful for your faith and belief in Jesus? This is the response of the Philippian Jailer and his family. Luke tells us that “he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.”
I recall the joy of a former Mormon who was brought to faith in Jesus. She couldn’t wait to be baptized. She knew she was saved by grace through faith in Jesus. She also knew that baptism seals the promises of Jesus for her. When she was baptized, she was also both relieved and thankful. It was so obviously important to her. And she was so obviously joyful and thankful.
This is the attitude of the Jailer. It must have been so obvious that Luke noticed. But it’s more than the fact of joy and thankfulness. They were thankful that they had believed in God. I might qualify that a bit. They were thankful that they believed in the living God, the true God, the in-your-daily-life God, the present God, the real God. Jupiter, Mars, Venus, Mercury were not just names of planets. They were gods to whom the Romans would look depending on their circumstances and needs. Furthermore they sought to ingratiate themselves to these gods by sacrifices or rituals designed to earn their favor.
The true, living, gracious God did not need to be manipulated or bought off. His favor came to people by his grace. And just as the jailer discovered, he wanted nothing more than their faith. And even that was not a matter of his need, but of our blessing. For to believe in his goodness, grace, love, and salvation aligns us with the gifts he offers. We’re saved by faith because the gift is already there. Faith receives it.
I’m certain I don’t often enough give thanks to God for my faith, for his salvation, for coming to me, for showing me himself. This jailer and his family are good reminders and examples for us all.
David Bahn - Reflections 
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