Paul was placed in prison, where it seems his life was being hindered or wasted. He wrote to the believers at Philippi, “I may be in prison but God is at work. I may not be preaching around the nations, but God is still at work, so I’m confident, that God is at work in your life too, no matter how difficult it seems.”

If we think God is not at work in our life, to will and to do of his good pleasure, or we think others are really in charge of our life and not God, we actually become idolaters, because we reduce God down to the size of a small Sunday god, a quite time god or a good time only god. We end up murmuring in unbelief, thinking that other people and not God are determining our circumstances and happiness.

Friend, the apostle understood God is always at work, so he says to his friends in lesser trouble than himself, rejoice in the Lord. The Lord is at work!