It’s Not an Interruption
Suffering is often the intended way of proclaiming the gospel, not simply a secondary result of proclaiming it.
Paul makes this precise point in Philippians 1:12 when he writes, “Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually advanced the gospel.”
The key word is “actually,” indicating Paul was helping his readers think correctly about his imprisonment. For Paul, his suffering and imprisonment weren’t interruptions, a mere consequence of preaching the gospel; it was the conduit for preaching the gospel. To whom? As 1:13 says, the “whole imperial guard.” Apparently, God knew it would take prison time for Paul to get preaching time with certain soldiers and officials. It would take chains on Paul for some to hear of Christ through Paul.
This is deeply comforting and boldly reassuring. God’s sovereign hand in all things means that what I view as a consequence—difficulty and suffering—God is actually using as a conduit. What I often see as an effect from others, God may actually be using to affect others. What I think is an interruption is actually divinely intentional. God is purposeful in everything that he allows into my life, not accidental. And one of those purposes—intents—is that others may hear and know of him.
As you consider your hard situations today, live with the confidence that your less-than-desirable encounters and hard-to-process experiences are not random interruptions. They are not chance coincidences. Instead, they are the sovereign avenues—intentional conduits and divine doorways—by which God is providentially and powerfully accomplishing his purposes in you and through you for the spread of his glory and the fame of his name.
Pastor Todd