Collateral Freedom
By Elin Henderson
“Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.”
Acts 16:26 (NKJV)
Okay, I will not even pretend to be an expert on military terms, but I do remember watching reports about military events happening around the world. Often in these reports, I heard the term “collateral damage” used to describe the (usually) unintentional effects or damage that is caused by a bomb attack. As much as they try and prevent it, it is a fact of war that collateral damage can be expected. One action creates intentional or unintentional effects on things around it.
In a New Testament Philippian jail, Paul and Silas were part of something new - - not “collateral damage,” but “collateral freedom.” They had been beaten and imprisoned for the work they had done for the Lord in Philippi. God used their bondage and suffering to bring freedom to all those around them. Their faithfulness to the Lord, their trust in Him, their refusal to allow circumstances to discourage them, caused not only their own chains to be loosened and their doors to fly open, but those of all the men there in the prison. Now we aren’t told what happened to those other prisoners, but we do know that they witnessed the extreme power of the God of the Universe. We have no doubt that they heard the praises of Paul and Silas, both before and after they attained their freedom. As a result of their testimony, the Jailer (and presumably others) came to know the Lord as Savior that very day!
Do we ever take into consideration the “collateral freedom” that God is trying to work in and through the difficult circumstances we might be facing today? When His freedom comes for us, it may very well throw open someone else’s doors and/or break off chains that have long held them. May the freedom you experience today actualize freedom for a whole host of others.
GOING DEEPER:
1. How should this understanding affect your outlook when experiencing difficulties? Who else might God be desiring to set free through your freedom?
2. Have you ever been the recipient of collateral freedom? How did it change or affect you?
FURTHER READING:
