Acts 16:25-34. Paul and Silas are in prison, shackled, and are praying and singing as all the other prisoners listen to them. In the night there is a great earthquake that shakes the prison, opening the doors and releasing the prisoners' shackles. When the jailer, who had fallen asleep despite strict orders to keep Paul and Silas under guard, awakes to find the prison doors opened, he draws his sword to kill himself. Paul calls out to him to stop, saying they are all still in the jail. The jailer enters, finds them there, and falls down at the feet of Paul and Silas and asks what he must do to be saved. They tell him he must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. They speak the Good News to him and his household, and the jailer takes them that very night to wash their wounds, and then he and his family are all baptized. He brings them in to his home, sets a meal before them, and rejoices with his household.

We sometimes encounter people who are confused by our denial of self-interest in certain situations. People think we are voting against our interests if we oppose socialized medicine, for example; or that we are being too strict, or maybe a little stupid, when we give up a job or an opportunity because of policies of the employer that go against our beliefs. God doesn't call all of us to act in the same way in every situation, but if we listen to His voice and follow our well-formed conscience, sometimes we are called to do things that seem very counter to our self-interest indeed. Do not worry when this happens, just joyfully do His will and all shall be well.

This reading is a case in point - an earthquake just opened the doors of the jail and released the shackles of Paul, Silas, and the other prisoners. One would assume that God is freeing them, after all he freed Peter from prison by sending an angel. But Paul and the others didn't leave the prison, they stayed, unshackled, with the doors wide open. That, on its face, makes no sense at all. The men were unjustly imprisoned, they did nothing wrong and should have felt free to go. Yet they chose to remain in jail when what seems like direct divine intervention has freed them. 

Clearly, Paul and Silas were hearing God's will in this. They knew not to leave, so they didn't. And in doing this, the jailer's life was spared - both his physical life, which would have been taken by him or his superiors, and, more importantly, his soul and his eternal life. Not only that that but his whole household was saved as well.

God works miracles through us when we listen to Him, but discernment is vitally important to hear His voice. Often, what seems like an obvious good choice that will preserve us in the immediate term is not the one He wants us to make. God is always thinking of all his children, and sometimes He is calling us to make a choice that seems detrimental to our self-interest (it never really is, He always takes care of us) in order to help others.