“Take a guard,' Pilate answered. 'Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.'

So they went and made the tomb secure by putting

a seal on the stone and posting the guard."
- Matthew 27:65-66 (NIV)

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Easter may be a holiday on the calendar; however, the resurrection is not bound by a day. We can reverence and praise God for this sacred event 365 days a year! ​In reflecting on our last posts involving the resurrection of Christ, there is something that is unfathomable and to be marveled at concerning Jesus' ability to RISE! A couple of blogs ago, we reflected on the fact that Jesus COULD NOT BE BOUND! But do we really get it? Do we truly recognize the glory and awe in what he did?! ​

 

Not only did Jesus RISE but consider the circumstances from which he had to arise. This tomb was a large one. And not only was the tomb large, but it was sealed and had a guard standing watch to make sure that nothing or no one went into it and that nothing or no one came out of it! Despite their security measures, the seal that they placed on the tomb nor the guard that they placed to stand watch over it, could stop Jesus from RISING! Jesus' enemies could not hold him down in the confines of the walls that he was placed in. Even with a seal and a guard, JESUS GOT OUT OF THAT TOMB! What does this mean for us?

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Let's Explore!

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We all at some point might find ourselves in a confined place. And at many times our winding up in this "confined place" is due to no fault of our own, but it is simply part of God's plan and His purpose that places us in these vast confines that we almost always want out of! The confines of our walls are not going to look the same but there are some similarities concerning our walls that we will all share. The similarities that we will focus on within this post are the fact that (1) our walls will hurt and cause pain, (2) our walls will trick our haters into thinking that they have bound us, (3) our walls CANNOT hold us down, and (4) God has a plan and a purpose for the confines of every wall that He allows us to be placed in.

 

Let's start off by defining what it means to be confined. Confined is defined as:

•    small and surrounded by walls or sides,
•    keeping someone closed in a place, often by force,
•    limited or restricted. · unable to leave a place because of illness or imprisonment, etc.,
•    imprisoned, captive, arrested, captured, kidnapped, or
•    keeping close within bounds; limiting; restricting. 

(1) The Pain of Confinement          

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When we are placed within situations and circumstances that confine us, not only will these spaces cause us pain while we are in them, but for many of us, that pain that comes as a result of our being placed within these confines might start before we reach our point of placement, that point in which we feel surrounded and trapped in the dark.

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Jesus experienced cruelty while he walked the earth and he experienced spiritual vexation as he prayed that "the cup be removed". Not only upon the crucifixion, but upon that road that Jesus took to reach the place where he hung, as well as that first strike that he took before he stepped foot on the road that led to that path is when the physical pain became ever so apparent. It is when the spiritual and mental anguish in realizing that he felt separated from God made him feel "forsaken". However, once he gave up his life (as they did not take it from him), there was no pain in the confines of his tomb. 

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If we consider the story of Joseph, he might have had some distractions and disturbances along the way to the pit due to how harsh his brothers treated him, but it was the confines of the pit that anguished him. It was in pleading with his brothers to spare his life that his pain radiated within him. However, we see that he prospered while placed in the confines of a prison.

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Everything about Job's confinement anguished him. Job's confinement bombarded him. He was confined amidst the walls of an assignment orchestrated by God carried out by satan. Job was being tested "EVERY WHICH A WAY"! There was no gradual path, but it was a "POOF! THERE IT IS!" Job experienced pain from the first blow up until God finally decided to answer and reveal Himself to him.

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Our confines, our tests, our trials, and our circumstances will hurt at some point along the way. Regardless if that pain occurs as an initial blow or as a trauma of the aftermath of what we had to endure, there is hope and assurance that rests in the hands of the one and only God!

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(2) A Ha! Ha! For Our Haters!              

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The Pharisees, chief priests, and elders thought that the crucifixion would put an end to Jesus. They thought it was a good riddance and BYE BYE JESUS!

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Joseph's siblings thought that selling Joseph after first throwing him into a pit would get rid of him. They thought that it would be BYE BYE JOSEPH!

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Nebuchadnezzar and those snitching haters that reported the Hebrew Boys' refusal to bow, thought that the fiery furnace meant BYE BYE  SHADRACH, MESHACH, and ABEDNEGO!

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The governors thought that the lions' den meant BYE BYE DANIEL!

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Satan thought that stripping Job of all that he had and inflicting unsurmountable pain upon him would mean BYE BYE GOD for JOB!

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However, in all of these circumstances, what their haters THOUGHT was a BYE BYE was really a HA! HA! for GOD because GOD GOT THE LAST LAUGH AS HE ALWAYS DOES! He also GOT THE GLORY!! When our enemies attempt to afflict harm upon us, when they attempt to destroy us, it is ONLY A THOUGHT! They "THINK" they know what the confines they inflict upon us will do to us, BUT GOD AND ONLY GOD "KNOWS" what is truly at work. Only God knows the full details. Our enemies' strategy and attempt to destroy us are as good as non-existent because God promises us in His Word that no weapon formed against us shall prosper and every tongue that rises against us will be condemned.

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Everyone knew that it was GOD AND GOD ALONE that brought all of the above individuals out of their despair. It was a known fact that it was God who shielded, prospered, and vindicated them. It was known by all that it was God who brought them out! All of the enemies of the individuals mentioned above had to come to a point in which they had to reverence God for vindicating the very ones whom they attempted to destroy.

 

People will often glory in our loss, our trials, our persecution, our demotions, our burdens, our pain, our agony, and our despair, but when will they learn not to TRY OUR GOD?! When will they learn not to underestimate the power that lies within those who are able to fully follow, trust, and reverence God?! It might have appeared that the stories of all of these individuals were over, but in actuality their stories were just beginning! 

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We are going to face things that appear destitute and hopeless. We are going to find ourselves in the confines of things that pierce, push, and pressure us. We might find ourselves having things removed out of our lives or taken away from us. But even if and when any of these things occur, it is God that authors our story. And in case you don't know by now, when it comes to REAL LIFE DRAMAS, GOD HAS A PLOT TWIST LIKE NO OTHER! 

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It might at times feel like God left us in the middle of a scene in which we are hanging from a cliff, aimlessly waiting for Him to save us or better yet give us a "SCENE" cue letting us know that the circumstance that we are facing is a wrap! More often than not, we are not going to want to be the lead in the real-life drama that God has us in. However, if we could bring ourselves to both rest and glory in the assurance of God in the same way that we marvel at the stories that we read about concerning those whom He delivered, what would that mean for us? Where could it take us?

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Jesus, Joseph, The Hebrew Boys, Daniel, and Job, ALL TRUSTED GOD! Their trust did not RELENT! They felt VERY HUMAN PAIN AND EMOTIONS. They were placed in the confines of unsurmountable and horrific circumstances. But their trust was more powerful than the pain and pressure inflicted upon them. Their confines did not dictate how much confidence they had in God but their confidence in God dictated how they would operate within the confines of where they were placed. Are you allowing your "confined places" to dictate your life?

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(3) The Chain Reaction of PRAISE!       

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How sharp are the swords of our praise and reverence for God! How mighty are the shields of faith and obedience! How unfailing and faithful is the God that ceases not from rescuing, delivering, sustaining, strengthening, and vindicating us! Oh the awe in when God breaks those things that try to break us!

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"About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose." Acts 16:25-26 (NIV)

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Understand that Paul was COMPLETELY and WHOLEHARTEDLY about HIS FATHER'S BUSINESS! Paul is what many would refer to as a "RIDE OR DIE" for God, and he was not the fake version that proclaims, "ride or die" but behind closed doors are really "ride or GET YOU DEAD!". There are many fake riders who proclaim to be for you and to have your back when in reality, they're the ones getting you into troubled places. They're not riding with you as much as they are creating wrong paths and detouring you from the right ones.

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Paul was about spreading the gospel. His goal was to push God's agenda in all the "RIGHT" ways. Paul was not going to be an enabler to sin or co-sign the ill-intent of anyone who rolled with him. Paul had an allegiance to God that was not dependent on people nor circumstances. ​He understood persecution both as a contributor and a recipient of such. God changed Paul's wrong path and Paul accepted said path at all costs. Regardless of persecution, pain, or rebellion, Paul was going to stand on the Word of God, and he was going to proclaim the gospel to all whom he encountered regardless of what it led to.

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In Acts 16, we read that Paul and Silas, after being accused of causing an uproar by going against the customs and practices that the Romans were accustomed to, are thrown into prison. But there is something both significant and parallel about this. Let's explore two significant phenomena in relation to Paul and Silas' imprisonment:

 

(Phenomenon #1):    

 

Acts 16:22-24 reads as follows:

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       The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten

       with rods. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard             them carefully. When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks (NIV),

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Paul and Silas were beaten and upon being placed into prison, orders were given to "GUARD THEM CAREFULLY". Their feet were then fastened in stocks. Sound familiar? ​In case you missed it, recall Matthew 27:65-66 which reads “Take a guard,' Pilate answered. 'Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.' So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard" (NIV).

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(Phenomenon #2):

 

There was no way "humanly possible" out of the confines described above. However, Paul and Silas understood the habits of Daniel. The scriptures tell us that while in prison, Paul and Silas began to pray and sing hymns, and then "SUDDENLY", such a violent earthquake occurred that the foundations of the prison were shaken and the chains that bound them came loose. And I ask you again, does this sound familiar? If not let's reflect on Matthew 28:2-6 which reads:

 

         ​There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled

         back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards

        were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid,

        for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come

        and see the place where he lay (NIV).

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There was a violent earthquake that occurred which is when an angel appeared to Mary and Mary Magdalene announcing that Jesus had RISEN. He instructed them to come and look at the place where Jesus lay because he was no longer there. The seal on the tomb nor the guard COULD BIND HIM. They could not hold him down.​ Now here it was, Paul and Silas being placed in prison, being bound, along with a guard standing watch over them, and an earthquake occurs shaking the foundation of the prison, opening the prison doors, and causing the chains of everyone to be loosened and come off. God would not allow Paul and Silas to stay bound. They were walking in God's will and doing His work, therefore, NO ONE COULD HOLD THEM DOWN!​ Of significance is the fact that Paul and Silas praised God amidst their circumstance. Their praise caused a chain reaction that caused the CHAINS TO REACT! Their praise collapsed the chains! And just like the guards that guarded the tomb, the guard that was ordered to watch over Paul and Silas was shook, both literally and physically. He was struck with fear! ​

 

Haters MUST BE CAREFUL who they stand watch over! WE ALL MUST BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL WHO WE FLOCK WITH! We all must be careful who we help to bind. We all must be cautious of who we place into the "confines of places". Children of God must also be careful when they willingly and intently attack, slander, and mistreat other children of God! No one is exempt from God's wrath when they touch His anointed ones. ​

 

Not only must we be careful of who we place into confines, but as we find that we ourselves are confined, we must be open to how God uses us in our confined place. God might just use our confined place to appoint us to save the very haters who put us there.

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(4) A Purpose within Confines         

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From the confines of a heavily guarded tomb, JESUS ROSE and set us free, giving us the gift of salvation. When the confines of the prison's foundation were shaken and Paul, Silas, and all that were imprisoned became unbound, it led to the jailer and his entire household receiving salvation and becoming believers in the gospel of Christ.

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If we reflect on the guards involved in both narratives, we see a drastic difference in how these guards dealt with the aftermath of having the one that they were ordered to guard become unbound. The guards that went and reported to the chief priests what had happened at the tomb could have made a decision to take what they witnessed and spread the truth that surrounded it. They could have made a life altering decision to receive salvation, but they instead chose to accept an offer from the chief priests to be paid to spread a lie that the disciples stole Jesus' body from the tomb while they were asleep. 

​Here it was Jesus being unbound, setting us all free, and the guards placing themselves in bondage to the chief priests to tell lies, slander the disciples, speak against the gospel, and hide the story of the resurrection. BUT WHERE DID THE COVER UP GET THEM?! THE STORY WAS STILL PROCLAIMED! THE GOSPEL WAS AND STILL IS BEING SPREAD!

 

Furthermore, God still got the glory because the same ones that hated on Jesus found themselves under his authority. In Matthew 27:42 we read that as Jesus hung on the cross, the chief priests, elders, and teachers of the law mocked him saying, "He saved others,' … 'but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him" (NIV). They mocked Jesus' power and he INDEED BECAME RULER OVER THEM! It was impossible for the same ones that slandered Jesus to receive salvation or life unless they accepted the same truth that they slandered! Jesus had to save his haters!

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While we see the ill-intent of the guards at the tomb and what their sin of greed led to, the jailer in the prison where Paul and Silas were placed recognized his "Access to Freedom". In realizing that the prison doors were opened, the jailer thought that the prisoners had escaped and therefore drew his sword to kill himself. However, Paul did something bold and courageous. Because Paul was about God's business, he also recognized the opportunity that was present. He did not allow the guard to take his own life. 

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There are many people that would have probably allowed the guard to kill himself due to their remorse or anger toward him. There are many who would have probably been stuck in their feelings and wanting to see the same person who stood guard over them punished much like Jonah wanted the city of Nineveh to be punished for their sins. Especially considering the fact that Paul and Silas were wrongly imprisoned. There are many who would have probably fled and not have worried about the jailer nor the other prisoners involved, but Paul and Silas knew this earthquake was no other than God at work. Their chains were loosened but they realized that their assignment still remained. 

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Paul told the guard not to harm himself because all the prisoners were still there. (Speaking of God and His plot twist stories, how many prisoners would stay put during an earthquake if the foundation of the prison was shaken, the doors opened, and their chains loosened.) This led to the guard asking Paul and Silas, "What must he do to be saved?" God used Paul and Silas to save and set free the one whose job it was to hold them captive. Paul and Silas had to save the one who bound them. AND THEY WILLINGLY DID AS SUCH!

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No Limits!             

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While confines are places that often limit and restrict us, and while confines might keep us within boundaries, when God places us within these confines for His intent and purposes, our possibilities are limitless! 

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When God places us within these confines it is not "restriction" as much as it is Him positioning us in a place in which He orders us to "BREAK LOOSE"! The dilemma occurs because it is quite often that while we are in these places, we feel trapped, and remain stuck because we are trying to figure out how we're going to get out, survive, and overcome on our own. We try to figure out what level of strength, faith, and obedience it will take for us to get ourselves out. And in placing all of our focus on the "HOW DO WE", we fail to place our focus on the "BY GOD" therefore, causing us to not recognize that God already gave us the power to "get out" of the confine before He placed us in it. Furthermore, the power that is available to us won't be recognized until our dependency stops holding on to "what we can do" and instead place our hope on the fact that "GOD ALREADY DID IT!". 

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At no point did we see Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego trying to come up with a strategy as to how they would come together and get themselves out of the trouble that they found themselves in. At no point did we see Daniel trying to figure out how he could use his favor with the king to buy his way out of the possibility of the lions' den. At no point did we see Paul and Silas trying to come up with an escape plan as to how they were going to get out of jail. All of these individuals moved past where they physically found themselves and the potential of where their enemies saw fit to place them, and they placed all of their ASSURANCE and TRUST in God.  

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These individuals understood how to "kill time" while in the "GAP". They did not "waste time" in their feelings. 

 

In Part Two of "Faith and Patience", we expounded on the idea of the "GAP". We defined a gap as:

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• an empty space or hole in the middle of something, or between two things

• a break in a barrier

• an assailable (unguarded, insecure, exposed) position.

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When we have faith in something we stated that, "there will always be a 'GAP' between where we currently are and the manifestation of what we are 'faithing' for." ​We are human. Things are going to hurt and cause us pain. Things will come along that makes it hard for us to focus on anything besides the dilemma that we are facing. Things will come at us in a way that makes us feel like we don't have the energy to take another step forward because we are sick and tired of being pushed back.

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We must know that it is okay for us to shed tears. Even Jesus wept. It's okay for us to go through all of those emotions that put us in touch with where we are. It is "NORMAL" to be frustrated, angry, tired, and feel anguished. However, at some point we must make a decision to "BREAK LOOSE". ​ We can't remain in our feelings or else we'll never get out of our confines. There are times in which God will leave us right there in the confines of where we are until His purpose is served and His plan for us is fulfilled. At times we can cry all the tears that we want, and God WON'T BUDGE UNTIL BOTH HIS WORK AND OURS IS DONE! 

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God had a relentless love for David that was beyond what many of us might be able to comprehend. However, as much as God favored David, He did not remove David out of the "confines" that he was in simply because David shed tears. If we read the book of Psalms, we will find that David at many times was in anguish or despair about something. ​We know that David was a warrior, but it seems that David's battles were never ending. Even when David wasn't fighting against armies, it appears that something was always AT HIM! And if we were to read the Chronicles or the books of Samuel or Kings, God did not at any point stop David from having to endure opposition. Instead, He kept right on placing obstacles in front of David and GIVING HIM VICTORY AFTER VICTORY AFTER VICTORY! He kept right on allowing David to face distressing circumstances that HE DELIVERED HIM FROM TIME AND TIME AGAIN! The fact that David had emotions about where he found himself did not stop God from placing David in "confines" and using him amid those same confines that He placed him in. God is compassionate toward us, but His omniscience does not move him to remove trials from us simply because WE DON'T LIKE THEM! 

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Will God rescue us? YES! Will God deliver us? ABSOLUTELY! But that is not going to stop Him from "PLACING US" in "CONFINES". It is not going to stop Him from using us right where He has us at. God's power is limitless which means that no matter what we might find ourselves in, HE CAN MAKE IT USEFUL. Accepting Christ into our lives is also accepting that he at times operates in peculiar and unorthodox ways. God will put us in a war and then use us to save every enemy that sought to attack us because it at times takes our being placed in "confines" to get the attention of the one that has confined us so that God can set both parties free.

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We must rest assured in the fact that our enemies CANNOT SECURE the place in which their ill-intent pushed us into, because it is STILL GOD that allowed us to be PLACED in the very confine that they saw fit to put us! IT IS GOD WHO AUTHORS OUR STORY REGARDLESS OF THE PLOT THAT OUR HATERS WRITE!

 

There is no lock, chain, seal, pit, cell, lions' den, or despair of any kind that our haters can keep us locked into because of the fact that Jesus could not be secured in the tomb. Because Jesus rose, he eliminated ANY AND EVERY BARRIER that 'MAN' might try to place upon us! He FOREVER FREED us from all forms of bondage that man might try to imprison us in. No matter where you might find yourself, KNOW THAT THERE IS POWER THAT RESTS IN THE RESURRECTION! 

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We celebrate the significance of the resurrection of Christ as a holiday on the calendar, but we cannot allow this to cause us to limit our acknowledgement, reverence, and gratitude of what it is that Jesus did for us not just when he died, but when he rose. Jesus had a cross to bear. This cross that he had to bear came with many "confined" places, but Jesus accepted them all.

 

Jesus learned to operate in whatever circumstance he was placed in. ​Jesus might have been the Son of God but that did not exclude him from being human. Jesus still had a human experience and amidst his having human experiences, HE STILL HAD TO OBEY GOD to receive all that God had promised. Jesus was not simply given an inheritance because of who he was, but he became the sacrifice that was needed so that the promise could be fulfilled. Jesus did not have a silver spoon placed in his mouth at birth that gave him a free pass to anything but he instead was born a king who had to carry a cup that could not be removed and hang on a cross that separated him from God so that he would then be reconnected with God with FULL BENEFITS to the BENEFIT OF US ALL! AND IT IS FOR ALL OF THESE REASONS THAT HE NOW REIGNS which means that NOTHING CAN HOLD US DOWN because HE HAS ALREADY SET US FREE! Don't allow your confines to break you but trust God as you endure, stand on His Word, praise him at your midnight hour, and simply "BREAK LOOSE!"