Imagine you were in prison with Paul and Silas. You just finished praying and praising God in an attempt to practice our post on positive problems. But your mind was not in it, you were merely following the example of Paul and Silas. To make matters worse, as soon as you said “Amen” there was a mighty earthquake. Unless you have been with us for a while, you are not likely to think of it as a profitable earthquake.
But if you have learned to embrace problems, you might welcome the earthquake. Particularly if you catch the smile on Paul’s face. He must know something you don’t know is your conclusion as you wait to see what the earthquake will turn up. Suddenly, the jailer busts into your cell and wants to do himself harm because he thinks you have all escaped. What happened? The earthquake opened the prison doors.
Wow! The problem you experienced after praying and singing praises to god is turning out for your good. All of a sudden, the problem situation is becoming a profitable earthquake. And in that moment, your faith level rises. You start to understand James when he says you should count all trials as joy. This trial is turning into a reason for joy since it has served to break your chains and open the prison doors.
You Have To belong To God To Experience A Profitable Earthquake
Sweet as it sounds that problems can turn into miracles, there is a critical rider. Problem-to-miracle does not happen in the life of all of God’s creatures. Mind you, God loves all His creatures, so much that He sent His son to die in our place. But only those who receive Jesus will be saved. On the other hand, anyone who rejects the gift of Jesus, the Savior is going to hell. There are no ifs or buts.
By the same token, it is only in the lives of those who accept Jesus that you can have profitable earthquakes. People like Paul and Silas who knew God through Jesus and who trusted Him. In the lives of those who have not invited Jesus into their lives, disasters remain as tragedies. You already know that, as otherwise, there would be no real tragedies. There is no power within them to turn problems around.
They are on their own while believers have the power that brought Jesus back from the dead within them. That power is working on behalf of believers to turn things around, making a profitable earthquake from every problem situation.
The good news is that you can be like the believers right now. God says to you, “Look, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” What will you say to God? If you say yes, today, you become a child of God and He makes all your upheavals profitable earthquakes.
There Was Something Special
In Paul’s case, the profit extended to the jailer. Any jailer on whose watch prisoners escaped paid with his. That was why the jailer wanted to kill himself when he saw the prison door open and the chains broken. But when he saw the prisoners had not run away, the jailer knew there was something special about Paul and Silas. That “something special” is that they were Christians. They would not get the poor jailer in trouble, despite his terrible job of jailing them.
That is what Jesus was saying when He told us to bless those who curse us. We must pray for those who use us spitefully. This jailer fell into that category but Paul did not wish him bad. So, the jailer knew they were special and asked what he must do to be like them. Paul told him to accept Jesus and afterward, the jailer took them to his own home. That is how it must be with us. God will make our problems profitable earthquakes. We must not hoard the blessing or use it to oppress others. We must share the gospel with them so they too can become God’s children.
Maranatha!
