Joy in the Midst of Trials
Life was not going very well for Paul as chapter one of Philippians opens. He had been sidelined, arrested, locked down and chained to a guard. Paul was no longer free to carry out the passion of his heart, taking the Gospel to places where Christ had never been proclaimed, pushing on and going forward. But circumstances intervened. His life was put on hold, his calendar was canceled. Take-charge Paul was not in charge at all.
Paul had done nothing wrong yet he found himself under arrest, mired down in the Roman judicial system. He wrote Philippians as he waited for his appeal to Caesar to be granted. Caesar at that time was a man named Nero. (If you know anything about Nero, you know that was not good news.) As he wrote Philippians 1 Paul’s future was uncertain. He may have been deeply disappointed by his circumstances. He didn’t have a court date nor a guarantee of how his case would be resolved.
Against this backdrop his words in chapter one have even more significance, “I thank my God every time I think of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you.” Philippians 1:3-4. Paul was not filled with resentment, he was thankful and joyful. “I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the Gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else.” Philippians 1:13. Paul sensed that God was at work even in uncertain times.
Paul may have been sidelined by his circumstances but amazingly he was grateful for them! He wasn’t bitter or resentful even though he had been unjustly immobilized. He didn’t pull the victim card. His first impulse was not to complain but to thank God. And to pray. And to experience that when God shuts one door, He opens another.
Paul’s attitude would not have been a surprise to the Philippians. In fact his situation as he wrote this epistle mirrored his situation when he first met them some ten years earlier. At that time he was illegally beaten with rods by Roman authorities, thrown into the innermost part of a Philippian prison and then placed in stocks, all because he brought liberty to a young slave girl who was demonized. What was his reaction to all of these insults and indignities? He and Silas sang hymns of praise to God at midnight from the belly of the prison!
How could Paul have joy in the midst of trials? How could he be thankful, prayerful, praising God? I believe it was because He knew God. He knew His character, he knew He is good and sovereign, all powerful. Paul trusted Him with his future. He didn’t know how all this would shake out but he knew it would work out for God’s glory and his good. Paul will later go on to write Romans 8:28, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to these who love God, to those who are called according to His purposes.” He knew God was in even his seeming setback. He knew God’s peace that defies understanding..
Have you experienced a setback? Have you been side-lined? Maybe you have done nothing to deserve some mistreatment. Maybe your future is uncertain. You know you are not in control.
But God is. Take your eyes off your circumstances and put them on the Lord. He is able. Trust Him in your difficulties. You will not miss your destiny. “God who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6. Don’t get mired down in your current situation, don’t complain. Praise God. Pray for others. Be thankful. And as you set your eyes on the things above you may be surprised that you, like Paul, will find joy in the midst of trials.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Give us the spiritual eyes to see You at work even through our adversity. Give us the grace to trust you in our difficulties. Help us to walk through our tribulations with our eyes on You. Thank You, Father, that You are in control. You never leave us or forsake us. We can trust you with our future.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen