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Mar 30, 2026 06:00am

What If Your Chains Were Your Calling?

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What if you were wrongfully accused and imprisoned? What would you want people to know?

It’s not such an unusual case. We hear about this happening, we’ve seen the TV shows, the appeals, the real-life telling of these stories.

They commit themselves to clearing their name. They spend hours poring over law books in the prison library, meeting after meeting with their attorney, sharing what they’ve found or something new to try or check.

And sometimes, it works. They’re declared innocent. The charges are overturned.

Freedom.

The book of Ephesians is a letter written from prison. Paul had been wrongfully charged and convicted. He was innocent. And, like many others, he could have poured his heart and soul into clearing his name and proving his innocence, but Paul wanted something different.

He used his voice not to free himself, but to free others.

Ephesians 6:19–20
“And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan—that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike. I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for Him, as I should.”

This wasn’t the only prison Paul had been held in. For years, like any good Pharisee, he followed and upheld the law. He persecuted those who believed in Jesus and chose to follow Him. But when he encountered Christ, he discovered freedom from the oppressive life of living under the law.

That prison was far greater than the one he was in now.

He committed his life to sharing the truth about Jesus Christ and that He has the power to save us from our sins. We can have freedom in Christ for eternity.

He didn’t ask for help getting him out of prison. He didn’t ask for new lawyers, for scrolls, or even for money that would help his case. Paul begged the believers in the church at Ephesus to pray for him so that he would be empowered to share the gospel message, no matter his circumstances.

Can we say the same?

I don’t know about you, but often, when circumstances change and I find myself in an unexpected trial, my focus shifts inward. I think of myself and how I’m going to get out of the mess I’m in. My prayers are filled with, “Lord, please help me!”

In the midst of suffering, challenges, and difficult situations, are we still focused on the mission? Like Esther, perhaps we are there for such a time as this, able to share Christ with those around us. We may not have been with those people in any other circumstance than this one.

Paul used this opportunity to share Christ. Will we?

There is great freedom in a life of surrender to Jesus Christ. Knowing the Prince of Peace and Creator of the world is in control of my life is how I sleep at night and am not consumed by the weight and worry of this world. Christ saved me, and I want the world to know He offers you that same freedom. Let me help you discover more about Him.

Go to follow.lifeword.org and start this journey of learning who Jesus is and what it means to be a disciple of Christ.