Where do you worship God? I’m not asking for a geographic location—latitude and longitude.

I’m asking for places in your life where you ask “What must I do to be saved?” when earthquakes strike.

For a jailer in Philippi, there was a literal earthquake.

Paul and Silas were prisoners in the jail after being flogged and beaten. Even though it was midnight, they “were praying and singing hymns to God.” (Acts 16:25; see my blog “Places of Worship—Praying and Singing Hymns in ‘Prisons’”).

“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.” (Acts 16:26).

What is your response when you reach the place in your life—a place of worship—where suddenly there is a violent “earthquake” that shakes the foundations of your life and your world?

Many types of “earthquakes” can strike.

“Earthquakes” from bad news can suddenly shake the foundations of your health, your job, or your marriage.

“Earthquakes” from poverty, racism, terrorism, or war can suddenly shake the foundations of your life and world.

“Earthquakes” from the Power of Money, the Power of Religion, or the Power of the Kingdoms of the World can suddenly shake the foundations of your life and world.

A hallmark of earthquakes is that they strike suddenly!

Whatever types of earthquakes suddenly strike your life and world, I suspect your cry will be the same as the cry of that jailer in Philippi 2,000 years ago: “[W]hat must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30).

He was undoubtedly thinking: what must I do to become like these men who pray and sing hymns at midnight, even after they’ve been insulted, tortured and imprisoned by the Power of Money, the Power of Religion, and the Power of the Kingdoms of the World?

In such moments when earthquakes suddenly strike our lives and our worlds, we don’t need lengthy, complex answers from religion, philosophy or politics.

In such “places of worship”, we need to hear the short, understandable answer that Paul and Silas gave the jailer: “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).

Now that Jesus is saving us from whatever sudden earthquake has shaken the foundations of our life and world, we will want to go and save others in response to the love of God revealed by the Amazing Grace that saved us.

Even at that late hour of the night, the jailer took Paul and Silas and “washed their wounds” (Acts 16:33).

We will want to “wash the wounds” of those whose health, job or marriage is shaken to its foundation by a sudden earthquake from bad news.

We will want to “wash the wounds” of those whose life or world is shaken to its foundation by a sudden earthquake from poverty, racism, terrorism, or war.

We will want to “wash the wounds” of those whose life or world is shaken to its foundation by a sudden earthquake from the Power of Money, the Power of Religion, or the Power of the Kingdoms of the World.

As followers of the Way of Jesus, we will want to “wash these wounds” because we will want to fulfill the ideals of the Law of Moses and the Prophets by doing for others what we would want others to do for us. (Matthew 5:17; 7:12).

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To read about additional places of worship, please read my blogs “Places of Worship—Rainbows”, “Places of Worship—Stone Pillows”, “Places of Worship—Crossing Streams”, “Places of Worship—Burning Bushes”, “Places of Worship—Seeing and Hearing”, “Places of Worship—Following the Way of Jesus”, “Places of Worship—Spirit and Truth”, “Places of Worship—Wanting To Get Well”, and “Places of Worship—Praying and Singing Hymns in ‘Prisons’”.

To read more about Paul, Silas and the jailer in Philippi, please read the chapter “Paul and Silas Sing Hymns in the Prison in Philippi” in my book Lighting the World, at pages 97-100.