From the outside, Paul’s imprisonment looked bad. It seemed like it would slow down, hinder, or maybe even stop the gospel from advancing in any meaningful way. But that is not the case at all. Philippians 1:12 says, What has happened to me has really served [not to hinder the gospel, but] to advance the gospel. The gospel was moving forward despite Paul’s chains. He might be in chains, but the gospel cannot be chained. God in his sovereignty would use what looked bad, for good. That is Paul’s deep confidence. Here we see how big Paul’s God is, how big our God is. Everything that has happened to him is filtered through the lens of the gospel and the providence of God. Yes, Paul was under house arrest, but this was not by chance, nor was it a mistake; this was not God's Plan B. This was God’s plan for Paul’s life all along.

This must be the starting place, the foundation, for every Christian and child of God. We must operate and live under this conviction. Our Father in heaven knows what he is doing. What he has planned for our lives will happen exactly as he intended. Our God is not weak. His purposes are not crippled by what we might think of as hindrances, obstacles, or even roadblocks. He can use our lives, messy as they are at times, for his purposes, yes, even for the spread and advancement of the gospel! Do you believe that, dear child of God? Is this your starting place? Is your God as big as Paul’s? As big as the Bible’s? Do you believe that God has such a powerful grasp of everything that happens in this world, in the church, in your family, in your personal life, and that he is guiding all things to advance the gospel in and through your life? Paul does and so must we, even when things do not seem to make any sense, especially when you cannot see how God could possibly use your life and circumstances for his purposes. Psalm 138:8 says, The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Believe this, dear child of God, and through it all, remember that God has already fulfilled his ultimate plan for us: the salvation of our souls, the gift of eternal life, that is found only in Christ and his blood shed on the cross. And it happened exactly as God planned (Acts 4:28). God, our God, never makes mistakes.