Prison Praying

Today, let’s go back nearly 2000 years. We’re going to Rome.

Rome was an exciting city to be in. It was a large city; what we would today call a metropolis.

The city was full of gladiators, chariots, and palaces, a massive coliseum and an emperor’s palace.

But where we are going today in Rome is not to those locations. We are going to a small, dark, dank room where there is a man seated on the cold hard floor. He is an older man, balding, shoulders drooping. Chains are on his hands and his feet. Another longer chain is attached to a Roman guard.

You may already have guessed who this man is. He is the Apostle Paul.

Paul has travelled all over the world of his day.

His message of Jesus Christ has already liberated people in almost everywhere he has travelled.

Paul was one who was bound by the will of God, and now he is bound in chains in a Roman prison. He is confined by the walls of the prison; he has been accused by his enemies – that is, anyone who opposed his message of the saving power of His Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

He is scheduled to stand trial for his trumped-up charges in the court of the cruelest of all emperors – Nero.

This prisoner is writing a letter. Most people would think that the letter is being written as a letter of complaints to God – a list of grievances.

Paul had probably read the book of Lamentations, and perhaps he was writing the New Testament version of that book which is, of course, a listing of sorrows, of distress, and a plea for mercy.

But that isn’t what Paul is doing.

The letter he is writing is still with us today – 2000 years later, and it is known as a “letter of joy.”

In our lives today, we know we are going to experience hardships and trials, along with the blessings that come our way.

And, when those hardships and trials do come our way, we need to learn how to get out of them.

And that is exactly why Paul wrote this letter to the church in Phillipi. His letter to that church – and to us today can do just that – teach us how to deal with trials and hardships that become a part of our lives.

Going back to the prison, Paul was under what we might refer to today as “house arrest.” Today courts enforce “house arrest” by attaching electronic monitors to the wrist or ankle of prisoners. Back then, they simply chained the prisoner to Roman soldiers 24 hours a day.

So, house arrest was not something anyone would desire to endure.

But, Paul, chained as he was, is filled with an attitude of thanksgiving. Note that he wrote, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with JOY in my every prayer for you.” – Philippians 1:3 NASB

Now, let’s read those first 11 verses of Philippians 1 to learn how it is possible to pray with joy – even in the worst of circumstances.

READ – Philippians 1:1-11

Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus,

To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me. For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Again, look at verse 3 – “I thank my God in all my remembrances for you all.”

Further, in Chapter 4, verse 6 Paul says, “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

His attitude – even in these conditions is this – whenever anything happens, whether positive or negative --- Pray! That must be our first response. Pray, thanking God for the blessings he has given to you.

And, as Paul did, thank God for the troubles that come our way. But then there is another step --- our prayer should be - Now, teach me the lesson I need to learn from this trial.

How often, though, do we wait until we are overwhelmed by the trials of life, when there seems to be no way out --- and then we call on God – “HELP! I am in trouble. Our turning to God in trouble should not be as a last resort.

So, what do you do naturally when troubles come your way? Paul says that prayer should be the first response and not a last resort.

PRAYER SHOULD BE OFFERED IN AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

Not in an attitude of complaining. We have to wonder, if our prayer is largely a list of annoying or difficult issues, is that prayer effective?

Look again at what Paul says in verse 3 – “I thank my God every time I remember you.”

He could have reminded the church at Philippi about what happened the first time he came to the city.

He could have recalled the time that a demon possessed slave girl followed him around and harassed them. That resulted in arrest and beatings and being put in chains in a dungeon. But he didn’t complain of what had happened before.

Instead, he chose to remember Lydia and all her household had become Christians. He remembered casting demons out of a slave girl and saw her set free.

He remembered the Philippian jailer and his family who became followers of Jesus.

And, at the end of all of that – he said, “And when I remember, I thank my God for you.”

Here is what we can learn from Paul’s example: We have a choice. Positive things and Negative things will happen every day. We can focus on the negative and become a chronic grumbler. Or we can focus on gratitude and when we do, we will be able to recognize the wonderful things that can happen in our lives.

Secondly, we can see that Paul was confident they would allow God to continue working through them. Verse 6: “Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Paul sees the church at Philippi and says,

“I see potential here. I see God working in you and He is ready to compete His work in you”.

Thirdly, Paul had developed some deep relationships with the people in Philippi. It is obvious in his letter to the church that he loves them.

He thanks them for their partnership in the Gospel “from the first day until now.”

He tells them he has them in his heart – vss. 7 &8 - whether he is “in chains or defending and confirming the Gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.”

He tells them, “God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.” We might translate that as “I love you as Jesus loves you.”

It is important for a person to have friends who will stand beside them through thick and thin – someone you can always count on – someone who will never leave you or forsake you.

But, if that we are always grumbling, discontented, and self-centered, the attention we get won’t last long. People soon become weary of hearing nothing but complaints even from the best of friends.

Cleve McClary is an ex-Marine who fought in Vietnam where he was badly wounded. He lost one eye and all of his teeth. He lost one arm and most of the fingers on the other hand. He lost hearing in one of his ears.

When you look at him, he’ll look back at you with that one eye and you know you have his undivided attention. He has a personality that just draws people to him. And he’ll reach out with what’s left of his one good hand and grip your hand tightly as he exchanges greetings with you.

Cleve McClary has an optimistic spirit, even though life has been tough for him. He has a special license plate on his car with the word “FIDO” on it. F I D O.

When people ask him what that means, he says it means: “Forget It and Drive On!”

There are times when we need to let go of our burdens and just drive on in life.

How do we do that?

Pray with an attitude of gratitude rather than approach life complaining.

We should pray for God’s glory rather than for our own.

This is the last lesson Paul teaches us here in the passage vss (9-11).