Paul was in prison for living boldly and sharing the gospel. Don’t you imagine he chafed at being stuck in prison—when he could be doing so much more on the outside? He was human with very human feelings, so I imagine he wrestled with being stuck in prison. His desire was to expand the kingdom of God! So he did what he could—he wrote to believers in the churches he’d established to comfort, instruct, and encourage them.
Have you ever been there? You want so badly to be a part of what God is doing—but you feel stuck. You’re in a lifeless place fighting battles you never wanted to be a part of. Or you’re confined to home when you want to be out doing! You may be in a dead-end job with no hope for the future. You are taking care of toddlers and trying to stay ahead of the chaos. We’ve all been there in one way or another.
What if prison is exactly where God wants us? (Or those lifeless-feeling places). Maybe there’s something God has for us there. I don’t know that Paul knew he was writing the New Testament…but he had time to write and pray. So that’s what he did. He was sharing the good news of Jesus from his prison cell. He asked the churches to pray that God would open a door for him to speak. He just didn’t know that’s what God was doing all along. Maybe Paul was in prison so he would have time to write! He just had no idea he was also writing to you and me—thousands of years later.
Apparently, God’s BEST plan was prison. I don’t think Paul had a clue all that God was doing in that prison cell.
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