Some of the most intense situations are God’s favorite backdrops. Paul and Silas were stuck in jail. They didn’t know that a ‘suddenly’ was about to change things when they made the decision to praise God. Dark backdrops set the best stage for light to burst forth in an explosion of glory.

“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]

‘Suddenlies’ are sensational! We love to anticipate that they will happen for us–to loose the chains that bind us. They are God’s most profound dramas. His display of wondrous deliverance defies all doubts and unbelief that had previously crept into our minds. He comes at a time when one would least expect Him to show up on the scene. The cell is dank and putrid, the stage of lost hopes and dreams. Creatures enjoy lurking about and they make sounds in our ears that scream that God has forgotten us. Then suddenly. Then immediately.  Then everyone’s chains are loosed.

God’s ‘suddenlies’ always include the lives of more than an individual. His loving hand swoops down and clusters as many as possible in one given blast of power. His pageantry is undeniable. Lives are changed for eternity. Prison foundations are shaken forever as doors fly open and freedom comes: suddenly!