A Turn of Events

Philippians 1:19 - For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ

    Paul is the supreme example of a confident believer. Upon becoming a Christian, his new life immediately became a white water ride of conflict and trouble, hence we have Paul writing this letter from a prison cell. Yet, in spite of the trouble, he is confident that God is with him and that nothing has taken God by surprise; he is right in the center of His will. ‘I know’, Paul says, ‘that this will turn’. He doesn’t use unclear language such as I hope this will turn, or it could possibly turn. No! He says, ‘I know’. ‘I am not upset. I know that God is working behind the scenes, he is influencing and coordinating circumstances and my life is in his hands. My life is not in the hands of my enemies or that of my guards; my life is in the Father’s hand and no man can pluck me out. It might look like I am a prisoner of Rome but in reality I am a prisoner of Jesus Christ, captivated by him. I am in the hands of God, being protected and directed accordingly’.

    Every circumstance that we find ourselves in, no matter how long it has persisted, is still temporary. It will change. Something will shift. It will turn around. Nothing this side of Heaven will last forever. The tides turn. The seasons turn. The weather turns. Even the Earth itself turns. Paul adds the power of his faith in God to that knowledge and confidently rests, knowing that this story is not over yet. ‘This shall turn’. What shall turn? This; this situation; this circumstance; this happening; this occurrence; this challenge; this tragedy; this; this shall turn.

    Salvation and deliverance is always the will of God. Jesus came to save us and that is not a one-time deal, no, he saves us daily. He saves us from sin. He saves us from harm. He saves us from our enemies. He saves us from deception. He saves us from ourselves. He doesn’t necessarily save us from trouble but he saves us out of trouble. The Psalmist tells us that, ‘Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers him out of them all’. Everything that we need is answered by the all-encompassing salvation of God. Paul knew the Lord so well that he did not question why he was in prison. He knew that God has ways of working out his will in our lives and he knew that he was there for a reason. The Gospel was actually being proclaimed even more because of Paul’s imprisonment. Some of the brothers had taken courage by Paul’s stand and were becoming bold and speaking the Word without fear. The whole Roman prison was being influenced for good by Paul’s presence there. God is in the salvation business because he is in the people business.

    There was another reason that Paul was so confident; he knew that others were praying for him. Oh,  how that knowledge can bolster our faith and keep us brimming with hope during the difficult times. This will turn around through your prayer. Paul recognized that he wasn’t in this alone but that there was a body of believers praying on his behalf. The word that is used for prayer in this verse is the word that means petition. It is legal terminology. We can petition the court of Heaven and argue, like a lawyer, on behalf of others. The church at Philippi was petitioning God for Paul. Someone has once said that argumentative prayer is the best kind of prayer. We argue our case before God; we present the facts and the logic and the reason for our petition. The story has been told about the lady whose child was about to be sold into slavery and she prayed in this argumentative way; ‘Lord, if you were in trouble like I am in trouble and I could help you like you could help me, I would do it’. The story as it is told, tells us that after that prayer, someone stepped forward and purchased the child and returned her to the praying mother. This kind of bold praying seems to be a lost art to the modern church, however, a closer look at scripture will reveal its abundant basis. Abraham prayed this way as he negotiated God down to at least ten righteous people in Sodom. Moses prayed this way as he stood in the gap, reasoning with God on behalf of the children of Israel. The Canaanite woman prayed this way when she found some logic to answer the words of Jesus, and used his very words to win her case for her daughter. The Centurion prayed this way when he equated his military authority and chain of command to the authority of God’s kingdom, thus, logic, reasoning and argument won the answer. All of us likewise must learn to pray this way, presenting our case before God, reminding him of his promises.

  Be encouraged, friends, the situation that you are in will turn around for your good. It is the will of God for you to experience his salvation in all of its fullness. God is for you, who can be against you? He is actively working on your behalf and others are fervently praying on your behalf. Get ready, do not despair. This will turn!