Paul and Silas in Prison

Acts 16:16-34

Our story comes from a part of the Bible called Acts. That name is short for “the Acts of the Apostles.” The word "Apostle" is another word to describe a helper of Jesus.

Our true story is about two friends of Jesus named Paul and Silas. 


One time, Paul and Silas were put in a place called “jail.”


Being in jail meant that Paul and Silas could not go outside and see their friends or go in the kitchen and get something to eat whenever they wanted or do much of anything, really. When Paul and Silas were in jail, they had to just sit there. And sit . . . and sit . . . and sit! It was NOT fun.


BUT guess what Paul and Silas decided to do while they were in jail? They chose JOY! Right there in the jail! They began singing and praising Jesus! They sang and sang . . . and they sang some more! There was so much JOY! You see, Paul and Silas knew that no matter where they were, Jesus was still their friend forever. And Jesus helped them choose JOY!


Then, something amazing happened! While Paul and Silas were singing and praising with JOY, everything began to shake. It was an earthquake! And while everything was shaking, the doors of the jail flew wide open!


Do you think Paul and Silas ran out of the jail when the doors opened? Most people would, but not Paul and Silas. They stayed so they could tell the guard that JESUS IS ALIVE and He wants to be his friend forever! Then, the guard had JOY, too!


Jesus can help us choose JOY, just like He helped Paul and Silas. We can choose JOY when we’re at the playground. We can choose JOY at the doctor’s office. We can choose JOY on sunny days AND rainy days.


Jesus can help us choose JOY, because Jesus can help us do everything!






Bible Verse: I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. —Philippians 4:13, NLT

Text Truth: Jesus can help me choose joy.


Family Devotional

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

In our Bible story, Paul and Silas chose joy, even though they were in a sad place. What did Paul and Silas do when they chose joy? They sang to God. Paul and Silas knew that Jesus was their friend forever and Jesus helped them choose joy. Jesus can help us choose joy, too, because Jesus can help us do everything!

This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.
—1 John 4:9-13

Have your family members write their names on a piece of paper. Then have each family member draw a happy face by their name. As they draw their happy face, remind each family member that Jesus can help them choose joy.

Pray with your family. Allow any family members to pray if they wish. In your own words, say, “Dear God, choosing joy when we are in a sad place is hard. Thank You for sending Jesus to help us choose joy. Jesus can help us do everything! You are the best God, and we love You. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

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Story illustrations are the copyright of Sweet Publishing and licensed by FreeBibleimages (http://freebibleimages.org) for free download under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Share-alike 3.0 unported license.
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