This was not what Paul planned. But this was what God worked out.
Therefore, we can conclude that God can do far beyond what we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20).
Some lepers resolved to go to the tent of the Syrian army and wondered if they would die or not, but what God did before they arrived was beyond their understanding; overnight, famine became a surplus (2 Kings 7).
What was their disadvantage, their disease, that meant they constituted zero threat, and were possibly banking on that to garner pity, possibly becoming their advantage to spur them on?
Jesus repeatedly described the kingdom as a seed (e.g. Mark 4:26-29), starting small and then growing large. I believe this served as a powerful motivation for the apostles.
The apostles might look at themselves, the Roman Empire, and the opposition from Jewish leaders, as well as the severity of the persecution, and become discouraged, wanting to give up.
But they saw their Lord hang on a tree and rise from the dead, and they received a command that they must fulfill. They said they had to obey God rather than man, regardless of their situation (Acts 5:29).
And not only that, they have the parable of the kingdom, especially the one that talks about expansion from smallness. So they would not be overly moved by their circumstances. And the miracles also helped.
God said a small one will be a thousand and a little one a might nation (Isaiah 60:22) and now we see the worldwide expansion of Christianity and how the whole world has been transformed and we see that truly this is the work of the Lord it is marvelous in our eyes (Psalm 118:23).
But sometimes human beings hurry and complain because something is not unfolding precisely the way they want within the self-defined timeframe.
They feel under pressure, become discouraged, and want to take a step ahead of God.
Look at Saul (1 Samuel 13). Samuel said, 'Wait,' but he explained that he was under pressure and had already made a sacrifice that he was not supposed to make, which led to him losing his throne.
Sometimes we go through the darkest valley (Psalm 23:4). And the prison for Paul might be like being in the valley of the shadow of death. He only knew that he had entered it, but had no idea how to come out. However, God was with him, and the result is what we see in the focus verse: a spread of the gospel among the guards.
Usually, the guards would not be Paul's focus; they may not have crossed paths.
But just as God orchestrated Philip's speaking to the Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8:26-40), so Paul did not plan to be in prison, but the guard encountered the gospel through that circumstance.
For Paul, that makes it worth it. That one soul is reached makes his sojourning in the prison worth it.
Jesus said Unless a seed of grain falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself alone, but after it dies it produces much grain (John 12:24).
That was Jesus referencing the impact of his death.
And in a way, the death of the plans of Paul, instigated by his imprisonment, was also the birth of some of the powerful letters, including this one, where he expounded on the truth we may not get anywhere else.
It was death in a measure for Paul. He was stuck in one place, and someone looking at him may say What a pity, he had much potential, if not for his saying (like a madman) that Jesus is God, he would have done great things.
But everyone who thought that is now forgotten, but Paul is still being remembered thousands of years later.
So God did something exceeding what he could ask or imagine.
God chose to start things small, to have His weakness be stronger than man's and His foolishness be wiser than man's (1 Corinthians 1:25). In short, He is in control, and He even turns what the devil meant for evil into good (Genesis 50:20).
Nevertheless, that does not mean we should desire evil, or that Paul desired to stay in prison because of what happened as a result.
God had not designed us to like prison or suffering, but we can rejoice in them as Paul did when they happen and as James wrote.
James wrote that we should rejoice when we fall into all sorts of trials, because God is working in us through them (James 1:2-4).
That may not be palatable, but we have the promise that it is working a greater weight of glory (2 Corinthians 4:17).
But in the moment, it may not seem there is anything to rejoice over, as we are in the throes of the pain, humiliation, alienation, and deprivation that go on for days, months, and sometimes even years.
The point I am making is that God can bring life out of what we call death, and He loves to do that so that all glory will be to Him.
It's who God is, so that it takes the eyes of faith to see Him at work in the heat of things.
When you see Jesus hanging on a tree, and that would be the first time you see him, you would not do a word association game and call him God. That can't even come into your mind.
That was why, when the thief on the right side said Jesus should remember him when He comes in His kingdom. It was unbelievable, profound, and an act of faith that was immediately rewarded with a VIP ticket to the very presence of God Himself shortly afterwards (Luke 23:42-43).
So, just as Paul's imprisonment was a means for the gospel to spread among the prison guards, Jesus, hanging on the cross, led to the immediate salvation of a thief. God be praised.
