The gate clanged shut as he adjusted his eyes to the dark. It wasn't the first time for Paul. Paul spent years in various prisons on the way to his trial in Rome, but he never saw himself as a prisoner of the Romans but a prisoner of the Lord. (Eph 3.1)   In the Bible God’s people were put in prisons, because they served God, not because they committed a crime. People like Jeremiah, John the Baptist, and Daniel. Paul never saw himself in any place apart from in the hand of God.

Perhaps you seem to be in prison yourself at present. Maybe you are emotionally stifled as you face constant put-downs and manipulation. Perhaps you are stuck financially or work for a boss that is unkind or arrogant. Prisoners don’t have any say about who’s in their life. When we are a prisoner of the Lord, we don’t have much say, either. If we did, we would remove all the people from our “prison world” that we didn’t like. We would remove all the difficult parts of our job and lives and change all the challenging circumstances that are helping us to grow up.

Paul knew that the devil was against him, but God was sovereign. Therefore, no circumstance could stop Paul from fulfilling his assignment. They may be uninvited, and some certainly don’t feel good but will be turned for good by God. Joseph's troubles were all necessary steps toward him fulfilling God's purpose and bringing blessing to so many others. In the prison, God was working for his promotion. Paul said, “I know that I shall be delivered eventually through your prayer and the Holy Ghost” and he was.

Friend, through your prayer and the Holy Ghost, your prison will have an ending. If you are in the “prison of the Lord” for a limited time and for a specific purpose, thank God, He’s helping you succeed in your calling and destiny as He did for Paul. Talk to the “Prison Keeper” about the next assignment He has for you while you are in His prison.