A Lion at the Zoo
“. . .I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus. . . .” (Ephesians 3:1)
Paul could easily have said that he was the prisoner of Festus, the governor of Judea; or that he was the prisoner of Caesar or the Roman government. He could have considered that his confinement was due to the Jewish Sanhedrin who had accused him.
It would be easy to say that our troubles are due to a waning economy, an unfortunate turn of events, unforeseen difficulties with health, wealth, relationships and events. If we look for reasons among our surrounding circumstances, there are any number of explanations we may contrive.
Paul was a man of activity. He loved being on the move. He was a goal-oriented individual who undoubtedly despised any wasting of time. It must have been a great trial indeed, for him to spend so much time unable to leave the four walls that surrounded him, day after day after day. He must have felt like the lion at the zoo who was designed to roam the forests and jungles free and strong. Paul must have faced the temptation to feel like a great eagle who was shot down and forced into the captivity of a small cage.
Yet Paul, chose the path of faith - - - the insight of real life that reveals our lives as squarely and soundly in the hands of a living and active God; Whose plans are beyond our present ability to perceive. He saw himself as the prisoner of the Lord Jesus. This revelation caused him to see the cage as a palace; the confinement as an opportunity for some specialized assignment from heaven.
When Paul wrote several letters to fellow Christians during times of imprisonment, I seriously doubt he knew that those words would be read by millions of people for over two thousand years; that his Spirit-inspired words would bring comfort, encouragement, light and truth to so many.
Is the Lord restricted because of your circumstances? Is He limited in producing true eternal fruit (the only lasting wealth) because of the global economy? Must you seek to find reasons for your difficulties solely in what you can immediately see?
Is it not true that perfume is produced only when the rose petal is crushed? Does not the coffee bean yield its flavor only when it is ground? Can gold be produced without the furnace?
Life is essentially a matter of vantage point. It can either be interpreted from the vantage point of the world or from the vantage point of the throne room.
2011 Galestorm Music Inc
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