Brothers and sisters, here is what I want you to know. What has happened to me has actually helped to spread the good news. One thing has become clear. I am being held by chains because I am a witness for Christ. All the palace guards and everyone else know it. And because I am a prisoner, most of the believers have become bolder in the Lord. They now dare even more to preach the good news without fear (Philippians 1:12-14).

It is easy to become discouraged. We confront a constant flood of bad news. On the day I’m writing this, the opening pages of the Hamilton Spectator include these headlines: wildfires, two dead, cop killer trial, suspicious home explosion, a shooting, several other deaths, increased tariffs, more on the conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and between Israel and Hamas. Quickly our horizon becomes clouded with nothing but bad news. We begin to despair.

This is nothing new. The Philippians had their own flow of bad news. This new little Christian community was already under threat and ostracized from their pagan neighbours. Now news comes that their founding pastor, Paul, is in prison. If Paul was jailed—would they be next? Was following this Jesus worth it?

Suffering, or the prolonged exposure to the suffering of others, can lead to despair and difficult questions. Fear creeps in. Trust erodes.

In beginning his letter with prayers of thanks and joy for the Philippians, Paul attempts to cut the roots of this hopelessness. Now, he addresses the situation directly. Yes, he’s in prison. But, “What has happened to me has actually helped to spread the good news.” These chains are not what they seem. They have become an opportunity for witness—an opportunity to live in the humble, self-giving way of Christ. God is using these chains for good.

Others have taken notice. Many Christians in Rome—noticing the impact Paul’s imprisonment is having--are now encouraged to proclaim the gospel. They are willing to take loses for Jesus, the one who gave everything up for them.

Hopelessness, despair, and fear can always creep up on us. It is easy to become discouraged. Ironically, these chains offer us a different story. Paul lives in the power of Jesus, has everything he needs in Jesus. He proclaims a God who knows how to bring good out of the bad. A situation in which hope may have eroded becomes a launching pad for it. Because Jesus is alive, Paul does not need to fear death. Because Jesus is alive, Paul has a good word of hope and life to speak, even to his captors.

Paul had already lost all things in Jesus, what more could Caesar do to him? In that situation, Paul was free to live for Jesus with joy and thanks, despite his chains. And he brought an uncommon hope to all. This utterly unexpected, counter-cultural witness to Jesus in the way of Jesus, is what turned heads and empowered the church.

These verses come to us to encourage us. As Paul writes elsewhere: nothing can separate us from the love of God that is ours in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38). And as Jesus himself says: “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” So as with Paul in his chains, let us take heart today and do not be afraid—Jesus is with us, no matter the suffering we face.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing; at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.