Paul's Prison: A Place of Divine Provision and Purpose
Acts 24:23
And he commanded a centurion to keep Paul, and to let him have liberty, and that he should forbid none of his acquaintance to minister or come unto him.
Oh, the glorious power of God at work! It is understood that Paul was in prison for a few years here, and it goes without saying that the prisons of his day were in no way convenient or comfortable. However, there are a couple of things I want you to consider. First, if you will study the context of our passage, you will discover that Paul had enemies on every side wanting to literally kill him for his faith in Christ. So, although prison was not an ideal place in our minds, we know why Paul mentioned in Php. 1:12, “…these things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;” The truth is, God placed him in a prison to protect him for a season from his enemies who would have killed him, if they had been able to get to him! The second thing to notice is that while he was there, he was given liberty to work with his outside ministry partners, who kept him a steady supply of ink and paper necessary to write much of what we call the New Testament today! Not to mention the food and clothing that was provided for him while in prison. It was the perfect place for God to preserve and provide for Paul the time, resources, and protection he needed to complete the writings he was called to complete.
So, now for the application; you may be in a ‘prison’ of your own. You may be in a place of hardship that you are bound to, perhaps a situation that has you in a corner, that keeps you imprisoned, and that you can’t seem to get loose from. I believe what God would have me to encourage you to do today is to look for the miracle in this moment of your life. For some, your miracle is that you have survived, and that you are still in your right mind! For some, it is a miracle that you have kept your cool, and that you have not lost your testimony in the process. Whatever it may be, rather than weeping over your imprisonment, learn to praise God for His sustaining power, protection, and provisions through it all! Paul even said, “I think myself happy…” What a great attitude! May God help us today to thank Him for the miracles of the prison, rather than complaining over the misery of the prison. You may be bound, but rest assured that God is in charge!
~ Pastor Gary Caudill
And he commanded a centurion to keep Paul, and to let him have liberty, and that he should forbid none of his acquaintance to minister or come unto him.
Oh, the glorious power of God at work! It is understood that Paul was in prison for a few years here, and it goes without saying that the prisons of his day were in no way convenient or comfortable. However, there are a couple of things I want you to consider. First, if you will study the context of our passage, you will discover that Paul had enemies on every side wanting to literally kill him for his faith in Christ. So, although prison was not an ideal place in our minds, we know why Paul mentioned in Php. 1:12, “…these things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;” The truth is, God placed him in a prison to protect him for a season from his enemies who would have killed him, if they had been able to get to him! The second thing to notice is that while he was there, he was given liberty to work with his outside ministry partners, who kept him a steady supply of ink and paper necessary to write much of what we call the New Testament today! Not to mention the food and clothing that was provided for him while in prison. It was the perfect place for God to preserve and provide for Paul the time, resources, and protection he needed to complete the writings he was called to complete.
So, now for the application; you may be in a ‘prison’ of your own. You may be in a place of hardship that you are bound to, perhaps a situation that has you in a corner, that keeps you imprisoned, and that you can’t seem to get loose from. I believe what God would have me to encourage you to do today is to look for the miracle in this moment of your life. For some, your miracle is that you have survived, and that you are still in your right mind! For some, it is a miracle that you have kept your cool, and that you have not lost your testimony in the process. Whatever it may be, rather than weeping over your imprisonment, learn to praise God for His sustaining power, protection, and provisions through it all! Paul even said, “I think myself happy…” What a great attitude! May God help us today to thank Him for the miracles of the prison, rather than complaining over the misery of the prison. You may be bound, but rest assured that God is in charge!
~ Pastor Gary Caudill