Prayer: Because he loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges My name. He will call on Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life, I will satisfy him and show him My salvation. – Psalm 91:14
You are our armor and our shield, Lord. Continue to protect us from the snares and pitfalls of this life. Rescue us when we fail to heed your warning signs and bring us back into complete submission to you. We love You Lord, but we are weak and wander from Your protective care. Forgive us for our shortcomings, and bring us back into fellowship with You, the security of Your love, and Your grace and mercy. Amen!
Main Scripture: Read Philippians 1:19-21.
Because I know this will lead to my deliverance through your prayers and help from the Spirit of Jesus Christ. My eager expectation and hope is that I will not be ashamed about anything, but that now as always, with all boldness, Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For me, living is Christ and dying is gain (Philippians 1:19-21, HCSB).
Associated Scriptures:
I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand. "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand” (John 1:28-29 9, NASB).
God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1, NASB).
That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day (2Timothy 1:12).
Correlative Quotes:
My problem is not so much a lack of protection from God. My more significant problem is that I'm sleeping with the enemy, justifying and enjoying my sin when all along he offers me protection from its damning power.[1] – Nancy Guthrie
So, if you are the Lord’s sheep, you shall be protected, provided for, and guided until you reach the upper fold on the hilltop of glory![2] – Charles Spurgeon
Paul's whole purpose in life was to speak out boldly for Christ and to become more like Him. Those who wished to "stir up trouble" for Paul might have thought that his anticipation of death would bring shame and fear. Instead, Paul knew that both his living and dying was the decision of God's sovereign will.[3]
Study:
INTRODUCTION
God’s most wonderful gift to all those who believe and trust in Him is the joy of security. The assurance that no matter what happens here on earth, we will be with Him someday in paradise. This assurance is the joy of our salvation, and it brings with it security for the believer.
The concept of God’s protection and our suffering seems to be oxymoronic. On one hand, we see many Bible verses that talk about God’s protection in this life and interpret them as saying that we will be protected from all types of harm: physical, emotional, spiritual, and financial to name a few. On the other hand, we see not only ourselves and others suffering, but we see continued suffering in the Bible.
God is not saying that He will protect us for all suffering. He promises instead to give us the strength to survive it or, in the case of death, He gives us a better alternative.
Paul’s initial supposition in this section of scripture is that either through life or in death I am secure in Jesus. He feels strongly that he will be released because of the Philippian prayers and the power of God’s Spirit. It was his hope that protected him in the time of difficult circumstances.
Because of this hope, Paul had a positive attitude about his circumstances. Paul believed that if he continued to speak boldly for the cause of Christ, that he would either be delivered from his current condition of imprisonment or that he would die as a result. Either way, Christ would get the glory and benefit. He had high expectations that his life would count for Jesus importantly. His high expectorations, encouraged by a positive attitude, fueled by hope, gave him the strength he needed to survive his ordeal.
Paul had faith that God would provide deliverance. He was sure that his deliverance would come either by death, (that would mean eternal life with his beloved Christ) or by freedom through the Roman court system.
Paul’s confidence in deliverance was provided by his faith in Christ. Paul had the faith that if God wanted him to live and remain in his role as an evangelist and church planter, He would find a way for him to be released.
Summary Statement:
We can experience joy when we realize that we are secure in Jesus. When we give ourselves completely to God and determine His ministry for our lives, He keeps us secure. Joy in security means is being secure in faith, secure in hope, secure in His love, and finally secure in Jesus.
Lessons within the Lesson:
Does God keep us from all suffering once we are born again?
What does God provide for us as suffering servants?
How does Paul cope with the despair of being imprisoned?
In what ways are we able to encourage others?
[1] Nancy Guthrie, Can I really expect God to protect me?, Fair Use Authorization, Section 107, of the Copyright Law, copyright October 10, 2005, Christianity Today, christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/october/26.56.html.
[2] Charles Spurgeon, The Lord is My Shepherd, Public Domain, spurgeongems.org/sermon/chs3006.pdf., P. 4.
[3] The Life Application Commentary Series Fair Use Authorization, Section 107, of the Copyright Law, Copyright © 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000 by the Livingstone Corporation. Produced with permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.
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