Acts 16:25-36

Did God cause the earthquake? Luke does not tell us; therefore, we have to form our own opinion. Earthquakes big and small happen every day all around the world. Scientists can tell you why earthquakes happen, and where they are likely to happen: they cannot predict them. I do not believe that earthquakes wait to happen until God causes them, any more than I believe God causes the exact timing and behavior of hurricanes and tornadoes. I believe almost all earthquakes are naturally occurring events. However, this earthquake happened while Paul and Silas were praying, and it shook the chains loose from the walls and the doors out of their frames. The world sees coincidences where eyes of faith see the hand of God at work; I believe God caused and controlled this earthquake.

Luke tells us what happened, but he leaves us to figure out for ourselves why it happened.  The purpose of the earthquake was not to set Paul and Silas free. There was no need for an earthquake to do what the authorities were going to do on their own a few hours later. With or without an earthquake, the magistrates would have released Paul and Silas at daybreak. If the purpose was to release Paul and Silas, the earthquake failed. When the jailer arrived after the quake, not a single prisoner was missing. Paul and Silas were still there.

Before the earthquake, Paul and Silas were safe; the jailer and his family were lost. God sent the earthquake for the lost. Roman law meant the jailer would receive the punishments of everyone who escaped. He considered suicide better than the punishment he faced. The earthquake shook his world, and he recognized his need of rescue and salvation. After the earthquake, he and his household were ready to hear the gospel and God saved them when they believed in Jesus.

The primary work of God and His church is not to bring comfort to the saved; it is to bring salvation to the lost.