Acts 16:16-40

One day as we (Luke, Paul and their companions) were going down to the place of prayer, we met a demon-possessed slave girl. She was a fortune-teller who earned a lot of money for her masters. 17 She followed along behind us shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved."
18 This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and spoke to the demon within her. "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her," he said. And instantly it left her. 19 Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace. 20 "The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!" they shouted. 21 "They are teaching the people to do things that are against Roman customs." 22 A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. 23 They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. 24 So he took no chances but put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks. 25 Around midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. 26 Suddenly, there was a great earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! 27 The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. 28 But Paul shouted to him, "Don’t do it! We are all here!" 29 Trembling with fear, the jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down before Paul and Silas. 30 He brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31 They replied, "Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with your entire household." 32 Then they shared the word of the Lord with him and all who lived in his household. 33 That same hour the jailer washed their wounds, and he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. 34 Then he brought them into his house and set a meal before them. He and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God. 35 The next morning the city officials sent the police to tell the jailer, "Let those men go!" 36 So the jailer told Paul, "You and Silas are free to leave. Go in peace." 37 But Paul replied, "They have publicly beaten us without trial and jailed us—and we are Roman citizens. So now they want us to leave secretly? Certainly not! Let them come themselves to release us!" 38 When the police made their report, the city officials were alarmed to learn that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. 39 They came to the jail and apologized to them. Then they brought them out and begged them to leave the city. 40 Paul and Silas then returned to the home of Lydia, where they met with the believers and encouraged them once more before leaving town.
Devotional (by Chris Bunch): Handling Irritations
How do you handle irritations? How do you deal with people who interrupt you? Most of us become very frustrated with irritations and interruptions in our lives. In our story today, Paul and Luke are heading to a quiet place to pray. As they approach this place, they are interrupted by this annoying little slave girl. She was disrupting their ministry.
Furthermore, this didn’t just happen one day, but the scripture says that for many days she would shout out loud, "These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved." Now, this is not a bad thing to say—-but for it to be shouted constantly for several days would become very annoying. However, even though Paul was filled with frustration, he resisted reacting in a mean way. Paul waited for the right moment and then relied on God’s power to respond to this irritation, which freed this little girl from this demon and honored and glorified God.
This story is a good reminder of how we should respond when we are interrupted or irritated by another person. Rather, than losing our temper, seek God’s power and wait for him to give you a clear sense of how to respond to the situation. When we let him guide our steps, the end result is always better.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, this week when I am irritated or interrupted, help me to seek your power first, rather than going-off on someone. Give me the wisdom of knowing how to wait for you to give me some clarity in the situation. Thank you so much for being patient with me when I have been an irritation. In Jesus name. Amen