Prison

May 18, 2020

Paul was regularly imprisoned for the Gospel. If it wasn’t local authorities, it was Rome itself, yet never once did he refer to himself as a prisoner of Rome or Philippi, or any other place. He repeatedly called himself “a prisoner of the Lord” (eg. Ephesians 3:1, 4:1). He didn’t blame his troubles on any human agency or individual. He didn’t complain about those who beat him or threw him into jail. He saw things from a larger perspective—he was in God’s hands, and any restriction on his bodily freedom was God’s doing, not theirs. 

While in jail, he didn’t mope or bemoan his bad luck. We read in Acts that after being beaten and fastened to stocks in the inner part of the Philippian jail, he and Silas sang (Acts 16). If that weren’t enough, when he was in custody for a longer period of time, he used that time to write, extending to us through his letters what otherwise would have been a much more limited and restricted ministry. The restrictions placed upon him became the means of expanding his reach much farther than he could have imagined, and far more than he would have reached had he remained a free man.

It’s a matter of perspective. Do I with Paul believe God remains in control when circumstances are not in my favor? Or do I rail against the restrictions as if God didn’t exist? Do I allow the agenda and actions of those in office determine the level of my peace, or do I settle my heart and mind on the eternal purposes of God? When I focus on what mere humans do, I imprison myself, trade my peace for petulance, lose sight of the perspective God wants me to have, and miss the greater ministry he has planned. We may have restrictions, but we are not prisoners to our governor, to Dr. Fauci, or WHO. We are prisoners, bound to the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Lord, help me be content as your prisoner!