We see a prisoner praying to the Lord of Lords – to the ONE who was Lord of the Emperor. Let your imagination take you into the Roman jail. You take care of God’s things – and God will take care of your things. Paul’s prayer was an expression of selflessness. We know that when disciples of Jesus heard Jesus praying they were influenced – and they wanted to pray like Jesus. What kind of man is this? What would they hear? How might they be influenced? They had never met anyone like this man! Remember, there were Roman soldiers guarding him – what must they have thought? He is a prisoner in Rome – and yet he is kneeling before and his God and talking to his God. That was his reason for kneeling before the Father. “If a man like Paul is imprisoned, then what hope is there for the likes of us?” He speaks about how we can approach God with freedom and confidence – and because he is imprisoned as a consequence of his ministry – he has this concern for those who might become discouraged – when they consider that this man of God, whom they truly loved and appreciated, was suffering because of his preaching and teaching. He has been speaking about God’s Plans and Purposes and Intentions – of how God was going to work in the world through the Church of Jesus Christ – and he refers to the intricate beauty of HIS wisdom.Įven when Paul is writing personally, he handles majestic and mighty themes. He preached and writes about the unsearchable riches of Christ – this inexhaustible wealth which is available to us from our Creator God through Jesus Christ our Saviour.
He had been limited and restricted physically – but he remains a servant of the Gospel.
He deals with mighty and majestic themes in this letter – and he is also so personal when he speaks about his imprisonment. Paul is writing to people who had come to real faith – he had seen it – he had been there – he knew them. Reading these words give rise to such comment. There are times when we can allow our imagination to inspire us spiritually. We come to Ephesians Chapter 3 verse 14 – “For this reason I kneel before the Father.” What Might We Learn When We Hear Others Pray?
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