To
you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens! Psalm 123:1
ESV
At the close of his third missionary journey, the Apostle Paul
had been warned by numerous brothers and sisters through the Holy Spirit about
the troubles awaiting him in Jerusalem. Still, he felt led and compelled to go.
Within days of arriving, Paul was beaten and thrown in a local jail, soon
thereafter he was spirited away by night (to avoid a plan by certain Jews to
kill him) to Caesarea where he spent the next two years in prison. He appealed
to Caesar which catapulted him on an arduous and imperiled journey to Rome and
more jail time. Just in Caesarea and
Rome alone, most scholars presume Paul spent four to six years in prison (or
house-arrest) before being beheaded by Emperor Nero.
Paul is considered to be one of the greatest apostles of the
Church; he is certainly one of the heroes of the faith. God used him mightily
in planting churches all over the known world. It is surprising, perhaps, that
a sovereign God would choose to set such a man aside at the peak of his
ministry. Ever the purposeful optimist, however, Paul used his time in prison
or under guard very well, encouraging the churches through epistles and
emissaries.
I
want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to
advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial
guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the
brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more
bold to speak the word without fear. Philippians 1:12-14 ESV
Paul did not feel “set aside” and did not believe the
Kingdom suffered because of his imprisonment; he probably expected
incarceration was always a possibility at every stop. Further, it was Paul’s
firm belief that imprisonment was not a glitch or hiccup in God’s plan, but part of God’s plan. A modern example may be found in the story of
Richard Wurmbrand, the Romanian Christian pastor, author of Tortured for Christ, and founder of The
Voice of the Martyrs. For him, prison was just a different location for ministry. He recounts that while in prison he and another Christian
brother used the chains on their wrists as tambourines to sing “This is the day
that the Lord has made.”
Both of these examples demonstrate an ability to live
unmoved by or above one’s circumstances. Apparently one can celebrate the Lord’s
Day in or out of prison. In the minds of such saints, God chooses the setting, and
they choose to praise and worship Him.
There must be something Paul, Wurmbrand, and countless other
imprisoned believers learned that allowed them to see the positives in their
circumstances. What could possibly be positive about such an experience? Well
think of this, in Paul's case:
· He was able to brush up on his Latin;
·
He learned the basis for his “full armor of God”
study;
·
The food in Italy was better;
·
He got to witness to and mentor some swell guys;
and
·
Uh, um, hmm . . .
Actually, positive thinking runs out of gas after awhile.
Positive thinking only goes so far because it is still limited to one’s
perspective—what you or I can see or sense. The positive thinker is still rooted
in his or her circumstances (he or she is just choosing to see the best part of
them). Paul and pastor Wurmbrand learned that faith and contentment must (instead) be
rooted in faith in God. Regardless
of circumstances, men and women of faith must put their confidence in
·
The Word of God,
·
The character of God,
·
The provision of God, and
·
Their experience with God
Faith’s most necessary perspective requires that we move our
eyes from our circumstances (completely) and move them to God (completely). No
peaking at the waves!
There will be times when the believer will encounter life storms
bringing chaos and pain that threaten to destroy them. There will also be times
when faithful Christians encounter persecution. Believers will also experience
time “in the desert” where they are taken out of productive ministry, seemingly just waiting for something to happen. These are distressing, discouraging, and
frightening events that can dominate one’s prayers and thoughts. These threats
are ever before you and I, and sometimes they are right before our eyes.
Mental note-- we were never commissioned to live by our sight
anyway.
So
we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we
are away from the Lord, for we walk by
faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:6-7 ESV
Now
faith is the assurance of things hoped for,
the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received
their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the
word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. Hebrews
11:1-3 ESV
If you have to look at something, look up!
Therefore,
since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside
every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance
the race that is set before us, looking
to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was
set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the
right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV
And, don’t forget faith is not a human enterprise; living by
faith has to be powered by God’s grace.
And
God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 2
Corinthians 9:8 ESV
So, if you find yourself in peril or feeling set aside, hang
in there. God is still at work (He really is)!
And
I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to
completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6 ESV
