The Power of Joy In The Prison Of Pain in Philippians

Pain is a worldwide, non-optional experience that everyone has the misadventure of enduring. Pain is a compelling signal that echoes through life from conception to cessation.

The bars of pain’s prison are invisible to others, but prominent and conspicuous to us as individuals in the personally designed cells of our self-absorbed aches and agonies.

Pain is awkward to communicate, yet connects us with others.

Emily Dickinson wrote:

Pain has an element of blank; it cannot recollect

When it began, or if there were a day when it was not.

It has no future but itself, its infinite realms contain

Its past, enlightened to perceive new periods of pain.

Pain comes in a variety of faces, shapes, and sizes.  It may be mental, emotional or physical pain.  What is agony to one person may be irrelevant to another person.

To say pain is all in our mind is not to far from reality.  That is not to minimize the torment and heartbreak but the central processing unit of our brain is what signals the explosions of pains distress.  If we could just reroute the mind pathways or reroute with a new perspective on each miserable throb and aching pulsation.

Is pain impossible to correspond?  Ridiculousness may be our feeling as we seek a tangible explanation of our pain.

We’re asked to mark its measure on a scale of one to ten, but that is impossible, unreasonable and arbitrary. What is one person’s “one” may be another person’s “ten.”

There is no way to imagine pain in that way; as if we are framing a window for others to look through, into our feelings.  But we can express and must, even though the precision staggers real appearance.

Pain is really not the ultimate enemy.  We try, in periods of our lives, to relieve pain by various prescription opiates, physical manipulations, structural reconfigurations and mental reevaluations.

No attempts ever fully alleviate our pain.  The prescribers are “the practicers of medicine”.  Attempts will not remove, but skew our brain chemistry to reinterpret the pain signals.  The pain is still there but the slant and spin of our thoughts are distorted.

The problem is, not only are our pain values adjusted but our pleasure center becomes cannibalized away also.  The ultimate enemy is the pilfering of our joy.

In the Bible, the letter to the Philippians unfolds the power of joy in the prison of pain.

Philippians Explains How We Experience Joy

Joy Comes Through Our Confidence In Christ Phil. 1:1-11

Joy Comes Though Crushed In Circumstances Phil. 1: 12-30

Joy Comes Through Connecting In Christ’s Character Phil. 2

Joy Comes Through Craving Christ’s Captivating Charm Phil. 3

Joy Comes Through Casting All Concerns In

The Calming Care Of Christ Phil. 4   

Joy Comes Through Our Confidence In Christ Phil. 1:1-11

Our Possibilities Through Christ Phil. 1

  Confidence the Stability for Joy   Philippians 1:1-11

     Christ’s Provision Of Partnership v. 1-2

       Recognizing God Our Source Of Joy

 Provision Comes Through Preference v.1 Paul and Timothy,

Our Recognition as Servants the servants of Jesus Christ,

         Provision comes through Participation

           Our Recognition as Separated to all the saints in Christ

                                                                   Jesus, which are at Philippi, 

Our Recognition of Skills with the bishops and deacons:

Provision Comes Through Privilege v.2

Our Recognition of Strength         Grace be unto you,

Our Recognition of Serenity         and peace

Our Recognition of Sovereignty  from God our Father, and

                                                                            from the Lord Jesus Christ

       Christ’s Prerequisite Of Prayer v.3-11

Captivate Us in Prayers Privilege v.3

            Recognizing Others

               Appreciation                    I thank my God

Clarify To Us Prayers Picture

            Remembering Others

               Acceptation                  upon every remembrance of you,

Cultivate In Us Prayers Pleasure v.4

            Requesting for Others

Affirming                  Always in every prayer of mine

                                                    for you all making request with joy       

Capture Us With Prayers Purpose v.5

            Relating to Others

Association        For your fellowship in the gospel from  

                                            the first day until now;

Confide To Us Prayers Position v.6

               Regarding Others

Pray Confidently Being confident of this very thing,

 Console Us In Prayers Promise

Pray Competently that he which hath begun a good  

                                                     work in you 

 Pray Completely    will perform it until the

                                                    day of Jesus Christ:

Concentrate In Us Prayers Pressure v.7

Pray Concerned    Even as it is meet for me to

                                                  think this of you all, Because

Pray Compassionately I have you in my heart

Pray Committed          inasmuch as both in my bonds

Confirm To Us Prayer Participation

            Pray Convincingly

Endorse                   and in the defense

Encourage              and confirmation of the gospel,

Embrace                  ye all are partakers of my grace.

Conform Us With Prayers Passion v.8

A Stable Fact               For God is my record,

A Sincere Fixation     how greatly I long after you all

A Sensitive Feeling    in the bowels of Jesus Christ

Concern Us With Prayers Petitions v.9-11

 Increased Love v.9     and this I pray, that your Love

                                                        may abound yet more and more

Improved Learning

Comprehension         in knowledge

 Capacity                        and in all judgment;

Insightful Living v.10

Approval           That ye may approve  

Advisability      things that are excellent;

Indisputable Legitimacy

Sincere                           that ye may be sincere

Sensitive and without offence till the day of Christ;

Imbued Light v.11

Controlled Being filled with the fruits of righteousness

Christlike    which are by Jesus Christ,

Commendable  unto the glory and praise of God.