Day 13 Prison: A House of Hope

I asked my good friend and fellow minister of the Gospel, Beth Taylor, to guest write today’s post. On point as always!

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“Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.” Ephesians 4:1 NASB2020

Paul, who had spent years ministering in and from Ephesus in the past, is writing to the believers from his prison cell in Rome, encouraging them towards living in unity. In reaching to grasp the meaning of passages of scripture, we often miss the message of simple yet puzzling phrases such as we find in this verse.

“Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord…”

Perspective is everything. One might argue that Paul had been imprisoned in Rome by Nero but they would not be seeing it from heaven’s perspective as Paul did. Paul did not allow Nero credit for his imprisonment but rather viewed his incarceration as the will of the Lord that the Gospel would go forth.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

Living in surrender to His plan, His heart’s desire for us and those around us gives us a much larger perspective that isn’t just about us. In surrender, prison walls become train cars that speed us along in His plans… plans for good and not for evil, that bring great hope.

Look around yourself today and take stock of the constraints you see. In living surrendered to Him, see the “constraints” melt away, and the vehicle of hope for the future emerge. He is here. He is at work in you and through you. And He is your every hope.

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