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 when he wrote, "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.  For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.  And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation." (2 Cor. 1:3-7).

 

What a wonderful thought!  Through every difficulty, through every hardship, and through every sorrow, God is there to comfort me; and because He comforts me, I, in turn, can be a comfort to those around me who are going through trials.  In other words, my troubles can become just an extension of my ministry for the Lord, because by them I am able to minister "consolation and salvation" to those who may have no hope.  The Apostle Peter writes, "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear." (1 Peter 3:15).

 

Often, it feels like we are the prisoners of fate.  Circumstances overtake us against our will, and we find ourselves in places which we would never choose for ourselves.  It may involve our jobs, our finances, our children, our marriage, or even our health.  Whatever it is, we may find that there is no easy escape.  It is then that we must "sanctify the Lord God" in our hearts - we must acknowledge from our heart that God is Lord in our lives, and that nothing can touch us that does not first come through His loving hand.  This must be our faith, and this must be our conviction.  All things work together for good, Beloved, not just some things.  It isn't that all things are good either.  It is that they work together to produce something good in the end.  Oh!  To possess such faith!  It is only possible, though, in the Lord Jesus Christ; He in Whom we can do all things.

 

When Paul was led by a heavenly vision to go into Macedonia, he and Silas obeyed, and came to the city of Philippi.  Things soon turned ugly, however, when the magistrates of the city cast them in prison for delivering a girl from a demonic spirit.  They were severely beaten and shackled in the deepest part of the prison.  There, bruised and bleeding, in the midnight hour, they turned their hearts toward God and began to pray.  It is when things look darkest in our lives that we must learn to pray through.  We need to pray until God is sanctified in our hearts.  We need to pray until we believe that He is still in control.  We need to pray until we know that God sees us, and He loves us, and He is going to work something out of our tribulation that we cannot now imagine.  When we have prayed to that degree, then we can come through to praise.  "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them." (Acts 16:25a).  When we can not only just accept the tough things that we go through, but really praise God for them, then it is that we can minister to the other prisoners!  They are going to see us, they are going to hear us, and they are going to know that there is something very different about us that they need in their lives.

 

"And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed." (Acts 16:26).  When we come to such a place of faith and assurance in our Savior, we are going to see doors opened wide that have seemed locked to us, and we will see people set free for whom we thought there was no hope.  All this can come to pass when we have become "the prisoner of the Lord."

 

"When the LORD shall build up Zion, He shall appear in his glory.  He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.  This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the LORD.  For He hath looked down from the height of His sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth; to hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death; to declare the name of the LORD in Zion, and His praise in Jerusalem; when the people are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD." (Psalms 102:16-22).