12-14I want to report to you, friends, that my imprisonment here has had the opposite of its intended effect. Instead of being squelched, the Message has actually prospered. All the soldiers here, and everyone else, too, found out that I’m in jail because of this Messiah. That piqued their curiosity, and now they’ve learned all about him. Not only that, but most of the followers of Jesus here have become far more sure of themselves in the faith than ever, speaking out fearlessly about God, about the Messiah. (Philippians 1:12-14 – The Message)
What good can come out of imprisonment? I cannot think of any. However, in God, nothing is impossible. The Bible has recorded many extraordinary stories. One of them had been recorded in the Epistle of Philippians, where the imprisonment of Paul did not discourage Christians but actually Christians’ faith was strengthened. For some reasons, the followers of Jesus have become more sure of themselves in the faith and fearlessly speak about God. As a result, the Word of God has prospered. From a logical sense, it is very hard to understand. Imagine a person that you have looked up to for many years. This person is your role model, your guidance, and your close friend. One day, this person is caught by the police. You truly believe that this person has done nothing wrong and he is put in jail for the public good. How would you feel? I would be upset, having doubt, frustrated and thinking there is no fairness in the world. I may even stop doing good because doing good deeds may not lead to a good result. However, in Philipi, the followers‘ faith becomes stronger after the imprisonment of Paul. They know that Paul is in jail because of Christ. They lose their beloved leader but their faith has not been shaken. In God, nothing is impossible. He can always turn the bad into good according to His will. When something bad happens, we may want to stop using our logical sense to rationalize the situation. As we stop our reasoning mode, we may start to realize the involvement of God in the whole picture. We may start experiencing the extraordinary story of God turning the bad into good.
“I want to report to you, friends, that my imprisonment here has had the opposite of its intended effect. Instead of being squelched, the Message has actually prospered.”
