The Key

It was after hours at church. The sound of worship was long gone, and the building was empty. I was five or six years old when it happened, but I still remember it to this day. I wandered down the hall to the bathroom, not thinking much of it. After taking care of business, I went to leave, but the door was jammed shut. I pushed, pulled, and tried everything I could to get the door to open, but nothing worked. I was trapped. I yelled for help, hoping someone could hear me, but with every minute that passed, I was filled with more panic and anxiety. Finally, my sister Casey came to find me and heard me crying for help. She found the facilities worker, and together they unlocked the door. With one simple turn of the key, I was free.

The relief I felt walking out of the bathroom still sticks with me to this day. It’s funny now, but it was a scary place to be in the moment. I was stuck in a place that I couldn’t get out of on my own.

Life also feels like that sometimes. We get locked behind fear, shame, regret, an unhealthy relationship, or an addiction, and no matter how hard we try, we can’t break free. We pull at the handle, push against the door, but nothing works.

Paul and Silas knew that feeling. In Acts chapter 16, they had been beaten, chained, and locked in a Philippian prison for their faith. They didn’t know if they would ever be set free. But instead of panicking, they decided to worship God. Suddenly, there was a violent earthquake that shook the foundation of the prison. The doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose. (Acts 16:25-26)

Not only did God open the prison doors for Paul and Silas, but He used their freedom to bring freedom to all those around them. The jailor who was guarding them that night fell to his knees and asked what he needed to do to be saved. He and his whole household came to know Jesus because of it. (Acts 16:29-34)

Freedom isn’t found in what we can do in our own strength. No matter how hard I pushed and pulled on the bathroom door, it wasn’t going to open until someone from the outside had the key. Like Paul and Silas, freedom is found in surrendering, worshipping, and trusting the one who held the key to the prison door, Jesus.

The chains we can’t break on our own, Jesus can. He is alive right now and walking with us through every hard moment. Not only does He hold the key to our freedom, but He holds the key to death, hell, and the grave. (Revelation 1:18) With His death and resurrection, He has secured the key to our freedom here on earth and for eternity.

And true freedom isn’t just found in what Jesus can do for us; it’s found in what He does through us. Once Jesus saves us and sets us free, our testimony becomes the key that unlocks someone else’s breakthrough.

The Bigger Picture: When we surrender our life to Jesus, He gives us the key not only to unlock our own prison door but to open the door for someone else.