8. The Power of Joy In The Prison Of Pain in Philippians (part7) 

Prayers Pressure Philippians 1:7 

Pressure and impossibility instructs us to turn from the finite to the infinite.  The hopelessness of pain, the bleakness of things that appear to never change and the loneliness of isolation from our dreams, these are our teachers the chauffeur’s of faith.

Everything is temporary and fluctuating.  The only things that last are God’s purposes and will.  It is the Lord’s choices that are worth our time and effort.  The prison of pain is our trainer in faith.

God draws us into the working out of His purposes and choices by prayer and He provokes us to prayer by pain.   Prayer is not pleading for God to do what He’s hesitant to do.  Prayer is entering into what our Lord has revealed in His Word as His eternal plans.

The Spirit prompts us to ask through His Word and then by His nudges in the daily pressures of life.

Nothing transpires outside of God’s will along with our response through prayer to His purposes.  We are called into fellowship to be co-workers with God by prayer.  Has God placed limits on Himself by our response to pray out His plan by our participation?  This is the mystery of abiding in Christ.

God is sovereign and will never be defeated, as He will raise up someone somewhere to enter in, in prayer for His glory and will to be achieved.  We don’t want to miss out by shriveling individually from pain and by not responding to the pressures of life.  The impossibilities are prompts, too lead to His presence and power for each detail of inadequacy around us.

  Pray Concerned  Even as its right for me to think this of you all

There is a partnership and participation where prayer is concerned.  There’s a right way to think and sort through the diverse variations of our experience when things appear to polarize.  Daily occurrences can trip us up and land us into the opposite results.  We had hoped for a result but are bashed by opposing forces.  This can’t be allowed to drag us down but instead we need these harassing devices as a lift too pray on.

The Amplified renders this, it is right and appropriate for me to have this confidence and feel this way about you all, because you have me in your heart and I hold you in my heart as partakers and sharers one and all with me, of grace (God’s unmerited favor and spiritual blessing) This is true, both when I am shut up in prison and when I’m out in the defense and confirmation of the Good News of Christ.

  Pray Compassionately BecauseI have you in my heart

Our affections are touched for others and we enter in to the feelings of Christ as we share in His heart in prayer.

  Pray Committed         inasmuch as both in my bonds 

There is an obligation we feel for others as we participate in there inner needs for Jesus.

Prayer Participation

  Pray Convincingly

     Endorse                  and in the defense

    Encourage             and confirmation of the gospel,

     Embrace                 you all are partakers of my grace.

Prayer is an involvement of sharing where the reality of faith validates all that is ours in the Lord as the Spirit of God corroborates an inner encouragement.  We embrace God’s compelling empowering grace as He lifts us up to Himself and holds us close in His love.

Heb. 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever.

We exist in fluctuating changeable circumstances inside and all around us.  Stuff is jumping at us within, without and times it appears to be everywhere.  We find our joy in meditating on Jesus and the calm of His changelessness.  He is constant, consistent and coherent as our reliable source.

In the puritan writing called the poor man’s portion we read:

“We come to Jesus, our Jesus, our Savior; He shall save His people from their sins.  He is Christ, God our Fathers Christ and our Christ.  He is the Anointed, the Sent, the Sealed of Jehovah, the same in His glorious person the same in His great salvation.  He is the same, looking back into everlasting, today, equally so through all the periods of time, forever the same looking forward to the eternity to come.  He is the same in His love, in the efficacy of His redemption, His blood to cleanse, His righteousness to justify.  He is the same in the fullness of supply of grace here and now and glory here after.”

In the middle of all our variableness and the frames of our unpredictability, in our fears, our doubts, faults, failings and faithlessness.  He is unchanging and stands faithful.  We can come to Jesus in our need.