Acts 16:25-34

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 everyone’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”

The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.

In the busyness of back-to-school preparations—the supply lists, new routines, endless checklists, and shifting schedules—it's easy for my focus to drift toward the temporary and the urgent. But these verses gently bring me back to what matters most: maintaining a spirit of prayer and worship in the midst of it all. They remind me that even as I care for the needs of my family and manage the chaos of a new season, my heart must stay anchored in what is eternal.

No matter what circumstances I face—whether overwhelming or mundane—I want to be someone who is spiritually alert and rooted in truth. At the core of everything, I must always be prepared to answer the most important question of all: What must I do to be saved? That question reframes my perspective and reminds me that the greatest preparation I can make isn’t just for the school year ahead, but for the life of faith I’m called to live each and every day.

Prayer

Today I pray that students and their families would see Christ in us—and that through our words, actions, and love, many would be drawn to Him.