FRIDAY August 18, 2023
Imprisoned for God’s Purposes
And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
Acts 16:23-24
Paul and Silas were beaten for the sake of the Gospel. Life is not always easy as a Christian. We have to be ready to endure persecution.
Why did the jailer keep Paul and Silas so secure in the inner prison and fasten their feet in the stocks? If anybody escaped from jail, the life of the jailer was forfeited. So he made absolutely sure no one was going to escape.
Think about it. These godly men were doing the perfect will of God, and they ended up beaten and locked up in jail! Yet God had a purpose. Through their arrest and beatings, the man in charge of the jail would come to Christ––not only him, but all his family. You never know how God is going to use a difficult situation.
For instance, in the life of Joseph, his brothers sold him as a slave to the Ishmaelites who in turn sold him to Potiphar, an Egyptian––a captain of the guard. Yet God was with Joseph and caused him to be successful. Potiphar treated him favorably. Everything was going well, until the wife of Potiphar cast longing eyes upon Joseph. He faced the worst temptation of his life! Daily she pestered him to lie with her. Joseph refused. He would not sin against his God, so he fled and ran outside (Genesis 39:1-12).
Potiphar’s wife falsely accused Joseph of attempted rape. He was thrown into jail. Psalm 105:18 records his sufferings: They hurt his feet with fetters, he was laid in irons. Joseph had done nothing wrong, but what was God’s purpose in this difficult circumstance? The story winds through Genesis 40-45, where we find that Joseph’s God-given gift in interpreting dreams elevated him to be next in power to Pharaoh. God used evil for good, in that Joseph was able to save his family during a seven-year famine (Genesis 45:7-8). God uses all things for good––to fulfill His purposes.
When you go through a trial, the sovereignty of God is the pillow upon which you lay your head.
~C. H. Spurgeon~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
