Hope from a Roman Prison

BY ALLEN HUNT

Today I am working on a Bible study tentatively called "The Good Life." How do you have the good life? That's a great question when times are tough and all the news seems bad, huh?

If you know me, you know that I look for hope in a Roman prison. Ancient Roman prisons were dark, dank and desperate. Full of death. Often all you could hear outside the prison was the wailing and moaning of prisoners. Prisoners were usually held in a cave beneath the ground and often were not fed unless they had friends who brought food. Most prisoners died there in custody from starvation and deprivation. You get the picture - ancient prisons were hellish places.

And that is where the apostle Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians. Easily the most joyful text in the Bible. The words "joy" or "rejoice" appear 16 times in this little letter written from the most desperate of places, a prison. An average of 4 times per chapter. Joy in the darkest of places.

Perhaps the greatest line comes toward the end of the letter when Paul writes Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

There is a great lesson here. Believers possess a deep joy. That joy saturates their lives, even when they are suffering, desperate, or in prison. That joy cures anxiety and leads to peace. They are not defined by what they own or how much they have. Believers know they belong to God. Their citizenship is in heaven. And that God will never abandon them. Ever. That allowed the apostle Paul to write more powerful words from the most desperate place ... I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

How do you have the good life? Very simply, by remembering that faith overcomes fear.

About Allen Hunt Allen Hunt is a former Senior Pastor of an evangelical mega-church. He became Catholic in 2008 and now partners with Matthew Kelly to serve as the Vice-President for Strategy and Content at the Dynamic Catholic Institute. Allen is a speaker, writer, and radio host on News Talk WSB in Atlanta. He is the author of Confessions of a Mega-Church Pastor: How I Discovered the Hidden Treasures of the Catholic Church.