The Prisoner of the Lord
It could well be said that the apostle Paul knew the inside of a prison very well. Commentators generally agree that he spent two years in a prison in Ceasarea between 58 - 60 AD, was imprisoned in Rome between 61 - 63 AD, spent time in a maritime dungeon in 68 AD, and was jailed in Rome again that same year. He also saw the inside of a Philippian jail. Altogether, Paul spent seven years of his life in prisons. Rather than being bitter about his lot, he instead seemed to take pride in being the "prisoner of the Lord." He firmly believed that, whatever his lot, God had a plan and a purpose for everything that came into his life as a Christian. In Romans 8:28, he acknowledges that, "all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are the called according to His purpose." Paul expanded on the theme of God's providence in all things in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians. "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Fat