Who will help me to stand?
As we continue to examine the importance of Pentecost, the subject material keeps expanding in ways I had not envisioned.
Even as I read a really familiar scripture, Acts 16:16-34, the story of Paul and Silas being brutally beaten and placed in stocks took on a new dimension. The story shows the Holy Spirit standing in the role of intercessory mediator for Paul and Silas and then supporting Paul and Silas as the two preachers and missionaries stood in an intercessory role for those who were imprisoned with them and, finally, for the keeper of the prison and his family.
Paul, in Romans 8:26, specifically addresses the role of the Holy Spirit on behalf of Christians during intercession: “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”
It is no stretch of the imagination to think of what physical comforts that Paul and Silas could have asked for. They are in a Roman prison, which is an unpleasant predicament. According to historical accounts, Roman prisons were not well ventilated, they were nasty, they were dark, and the guards were not known to treat the prisoners well, especially the Jewish prisoners.
As though the general condition and stench of the prison was not enough, Paul and Silas suffer from open wounds all over their bodies and are bound by stocks, which have been described as being made of a combination of wood and iron and were devices meant to both confine and torture. Despite their lack of physical comfort and bruised condition, these two preachers praised God through songs which were heard by all the prisoners, and Paul and Silas prayed in the same manner. The Bible does not say what they prayed for, but if they had prayed to escape, a way of escape was made available in an amazing fashion. Every stock in the prison was unlocked, releasing all the prisoners. All the prison doors were open, and the prison guard was asleep.
Yet, they did not leave.
God had heard their prayers and showed himself mighty by shaking the very foundation of the prison. Now, through the prayers of the two imprisoned preachers, the prison guard and his entire family would be set free from sin, just as Paul and Silas had been released from the physical restraints that once held them captive. The newly baptized jailer now ministers to the preachers and tends their wounds. Once an adversary, the prison guard is now a brother. Paul and Silas could not have prayed effectively without the Holy Spirit making intercession according to the will of God.
As we work, and it may seem that we are all alone, we must remember, the Holy Spirit works as a conduit between God and humanity. The Holy Spirit stands with us as intercessors, and he stands for us as he communicates our needs to God.
St James AME Church is located at 360 Dorothy St. in Charleston and worship service is held on the first and third Sundays of each month at 11 a.m.
