Blessed in Hard Times

I bless you to see

What God sees in your hard times,

How…

It’s all lining up—

The good, the bad,

The happy, the sad—

“To advance the Gospel.” (Phil. 1:12)

It’s what the imprisoned apostle

Affirmed to his Philippian friends:

“I want you to know that what has

Happened to me

Has really served to advance the Gospel

So that it has become known

Throughout the whole imperial guard

And to all the rest

That my imprisonment is for Christ.” (Phil. 1:13)

Your current challenge—

The thing that feels most

Incarcerating and

Humiliating—

Is not merely a trial to endure,

It is your ministry opportunity.

What feels most limiting,

Most out-of-line

With your plans,

May be what God is lining up

For the sweetest witness of your life.

I bless you, that,

Not just “in spite of”

But also “because of”

Whatever prison-like problem

You’re facing,

You’ll advance the Gospel.