On the surface, Paul was a broken and finished man at the end of his ministry, lying deep in a foul-smelling underground cell, surrounded by the worst criminals. It was there that he wrote, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now” (Philippians 1:3-5, ESV).
Despite everything, from the depths of Paul’s solitude and the deep darkness around him, a light would emerge that still illuminates us today. It was all because Paul remembered what obedience to God had produced. Imagine for a moment all that could have been missed or lost forever if he had not listened to God’s promises, if he had not believed in this dream of a church, if he had not had that heart that seeks and responds.
When the whisper of God spoke to his heart, Paul refused the unbelief that could have limited him and chose to obey. I shudder to think of how much could have been lost if Paul, as many of us too often do, had hid behind a self-justifying argument that God had failed him and the seemingly logical reasoning that his divinely inspired dream could never be achieved.
Even today, God speaks to our hearts and minds. Immense blessings can emerge from even the smallest appearing acts of obedience to callings that seem mundane or trivial. God's whispers can become miraculous moments and movements.
Although being confined in the depths of a prison, Paul was able to rise above his circumstances and encourage himself by replaying in his heart all the memories of the miraculous work accomplished at Philippi. Paul realized and then embodied the extraordinary potential for peace and joy that lies dormant in each of us; It can be released when we choose obedience and faith, and when we believe in the dream that God has placed within us. By encouraging himself, Paul challenged us to believe, listen and invest further in God’s thoughts and dreams for us.
Now the question is what dream has been sleeping inside you for years? As you regularly read his Word and spend time in prayer, choosing to put aside Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Netflix, YouTube and others, what is the call that keeps coming to you?
Claude Houde is the lead pastor of Eglise Nouvelle Vie (New Life Church) in Montreal, Canada. Under his leadership New Life Church has grown from a handful of people to more than 3500 in a part of Canada with few successful Protestant churches.