Paul was in prison for living 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’re in a dead-end job with no hope for the future. You’re taking care of toddlers and trying to stay ahead of the chaos. We’ve all been there.
What if prison is exactly where God wants us? (Or lifeless places, home, dead-end jobs, taking care of kids.). Maybe there’s something God has for us right.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. God had allowed him to be in prison so he would have time to write—to people down through the ages—including you and me.
Apparently, God’s BEST plan was prison. He turned what Satan meant for evil into good.
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