Shaking Foundations

"About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose."
Acts 16:25&26 

Paul and Silas found themselves in prison, heavily guarded. This happened because they were fearlessly declaring the name of Jesus. Paul had cast a demon from a young girl who was a fortune teller. She was a slave and when her owner heard about it, he had Paul and Silas brought before the city officials who then put them in prison. So we pick up the story at midnight while they are singing and praying. You probably know the story. They were miraculously delivered from the prison. But one phrase in the scripture caught my attention. It is this one thing that I would like to discuss..
    "Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the FOUNDATIONS OF THE PRISON were shaken." (Emphasis mine). Many times we find ourselves in some kind of prison. You may be in the prison of addiction, or financial struggle, or an abusive relationship. Our own minds can be a formidable prison. Whatever prison we find ourselves in, it seems that the miraculous way out is to allow God to shake the foundations. 
    God wants to get to the root of the prison. He wants to heal and deliver us so completely that we walk out and never return. It can truly happen if we allow him to shake the foundation. What took place that led to the prison? What foothold have we given the enemy to allow him to put us there? These are the things that make up the foundation of the prison. It is not enough to try to escape from prison, we need God to rock the foundation so that we can miraculously walk out. The supernatural key to the prison doors is prayer and worship. Notice that Paul and Silas were praying and worshiping when their deliverance happened. We usually spend so much time and energy focusing on the prison we are in that there is little time and effort put into praying, worshiping and honoring God. So it is a change of mind and a change of habit that is required on our part to allow God to set us free. 
    It is not within your own strength to escape the prison. It is God who is the deliverer. You must put the crisis, trial, or circumstance in his hands. You need to adjust your thinking so that you are open to allow God to do the work. Foundation shaking can be a scary experience. It may shake you like an earthquake. It may seem that everything in your life is falling apart. But if it is God who is doing the shaking, your deliverance is surely at hand. Identify the prison, give God access by giving it over to him, praise him every day, and pray. You may have your own idea about how to escape, but true deliverance is accomplished by allowing God to shake the foundations.