Paul was expecting deliverance from imprisonment. But you would say, Why was he there in the first place? Isn't he a man of faith? In the same way, people told Jesus, 'If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross' (Matthew 27:39-42).
That brings up the age-old question of why bad things happen to good people. But take a moment to look at Jesus, the greatest injustice happened to the best person in the world.
And what about Joseph, who said the famous words to his brothers: You meant to harm me, but God intended it for a good purpose (Genesis 50:20).
Like Joseph, the pain is the bridge to your destiny, if you want to know the truth. But it does not feel like it when you are in the throes of it. The writer of the book of Hebrews called it "discipline."
Hebrews 12:11: Now all discipline seems painful at the time, not joyful. But later it produces the fruit of peace and righteousness for those trained by it.
For Joseph, when Potiphar's wife falsely accused him and his brother manhandled him, the dream of the throne he had (Genesis 37:5-11) was fading.
Jesus prayed if it be the Father's will, he should let the cup (of the wrath of God) pass over him, as he was in spirit-soul agony (Luke 22:39-46). We all know that Jesus is now in glory. He came out of the grave.
You will come out of the grave of defeat and disgrace. There is deliverance at the end of all the turmoil you are going through.
Paul said he would experience deliverance through their prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
The Spirit of Jesus Christ is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God.
Jesus said that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Matthew 28:20). You may wonder how He does that; it is by His Spirit that is with us. He is with us mysteriously.
Because of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the Spirit of resurrection (Romans 8:11), you will come out of whatever grave you are in.
The previous verse contains the first part of the statement that is in the focus verse.
Yes, I will continue to rejoice,
Paul was rejoicing in anticipation. That can only come from a depth of assurance. Jesus told the disciples, just before His death, that they would soon be sad and before long their sadness would be turned to joy (John 16:20-22). And it happened as He said.
In all these, we must not stop praying. Pray the psalms that are about deliverance.
Paul linked prayer with the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. He was banking on that for his deliverance, just as the church prayed when Peter was in prison (Acts 12:5-16).
Pray, pray, and pray some more. Jesus, we were told, cried to God during his earthly life, to the one who is able to deliver him from death (Hebrews 5:7).
The theme of deliverance runs throughout the bible, starting with the deliverance of the children of Israel from Egypt. Even with that, we see prayer involved.
Exodus 2:23-25: During that long period of time the king of Egypt died, and the Israelites groaned because of the slave labor. They cried out, and their desperate cry because of their slave labor went up to God. God heard their groaning, God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob, God saw the Israelites, and God understood…
What followed was an epic tale of deliverance, complete with a protagonist and an antagonist. It was an all-stakes drama where both Pharaoh and God were raising the stakes. God could have saved them in a snap, but it was drawn out enough for the outcome to be something that gives the greatest glory to God.
Jesus could have come back from the grave the same day. There was a reason He was in the grave for three days.
Nothing is an accident with God.
Psalm 31:5:
You determine my destiny!
Rescue me from the power of my enemies and those who chase me.
Pray that God will rescue you from the power of your enemies. Rescue and deliverance are the same thing.
And whether you are like Paul, who rejoiced because of his spiritual insight about his eventual deliverance, OR you are like the children of Israel, who, while in Egypt, mourned because the deliverance did not come as quickly as they thought. Even if the situation seemed to drag on, going from bad to worse, ofr you, deliverance is coming.
Romans 13:11: And do this because we know the time, that it is already the hour for us to awake from sleep, for our salvation is now nearer than when we became believers.
God has determined the time of your deliverance, and as the seconds tick, you are drawing nearer and nearer. You might as well rejoice like Paul.
Peter has something to say about this.
1 Peter 5:10-11: And, after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory in Christ will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him belongs the power forever. Amen.
