A Prison Can Be A Pulpit

What and how do you handle tragedy, heart break, struggle and plans gone wrong? Something goes wrong with everyone.

Sometimes, we are the ones that go astray. Sometimes we are the victim of sin, loss and pain. So how do you handle it and what do you make of it?

I thought about this as I read about the end days of the Apostle Paul. At first glance, it’s easy to think Paul’s time in prison was a waste. Locked up. Shackled. Waiting.

His missionary journeys had taken him across cities and nations, preaching boldly, planting churches, reaching thousands. Now he sat in a cell, seemingly stuck.

But Paul never saw his circumstances as wasted space. He used every moment for the gospel.

Whether in a synagogue, a shipwreck, or a prison cell, Paul saw people, souls who needed to hear the story of Jesus.

He told the Romans: “I am not ashamed of the Good News, because it is the power God uses to save everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16 NCV).

As he stood before powerful politicians like Festus, Agrippa, and Bernice, the stage might have looked like a courtroom, but Paul treated it like a pulpit.

How are we handling our heart ache? What are we doing with our broken story?

For Paul these were not mere interruptions to his mission, they were the mission. I really like his focus, his purpose and his determination to persevere for Christ.

God gave Paul an audience with leaders who otherwise might have never heard the truth. The politicians came with pomp, with pride, with power, but Paul came with purpose.

They played politics, but Paul preached Jesus. They wanted to be entertained, but Paul wanted them to be transformed.

“Make your minds ready to serve the Lord. Be strong and self-controlled. All your hope should be for the gift of grace that will be yours when Jesus Christ is shown to you” (1 Peter 1:13 NCV).

Even as Festus struggled to find something meaningful to write to Caesar, Paul gave him something far more important to think about - eternity.

In Acts 26, Paul shared his testimony and the gospel so clearly that Agrippa said, “Do you think you can persuade me to become a Christian in such a short time?” (Acts 26:28 NCV).

Paul replied that whether short or long, he hoped everyone listening would become like him, obviously except for the chains.

So where’s the silver lining? Is there a silver lining to his prison, his shipwreck, his beatings, his hard times? There is a silver lining.

It’s in the reminder that no season is wasted in God’s hands. What looked like a setback was actually a divine setup. Paul’s prison was a platform. His chains gave him a chance to share Christ with kings.

And God’s plan didn’t slow down. It spread. Paul told Timothy: “So even though I am in prison for the Good News, the Word of God is not in prison” (2 Timothy 2:9 NCV).

If you ever feel stuck or sidelined, remember Paul. You don’t need a big stage to live out your faith. Just a willing heart and eyes to see that wherever you are, someone needs the message you carry.

And you have a message - you always have a message.

GOD, help us have the love to share, like Paul. IJNIP amen ♥️