Did the mission change?

Through your faithful prayers and the generous response of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, everything he wants to do in and through me will be done. (Philippians 1:20 MSG)

Our passage today comes after Paul was placed in prison, held for preaching the gospel message. He had such hope of his release, eventual continuation of his apostolic journeys, and the continued establishment of new churches throughout the then known world. He never got out of prison, though. His circumstances did not change, yet he continued to do what God called him to do, regardless of how his life seemed to be changing for what others may have seen as the worst possible thing. Even in his imprisoned state, whether in a jail cell or under some form of Roman house arrest, he continued to do what God put on his heart. It is indeed a good thing to fulfill what God beckons us to do - to have hope that the mission he has called us to perform will continue even when the circumstances seem to be pointing us in a different direction.

Look at what he says - THROUGH your faithful prayers and generous response of the Spirit of Jesus Christ - everything will be done. Those are not words of a man who saw his imprisonment as the end of the mission. Those are words that knew he would fulfill it! God might allow certain circumstances to 'stack up' that seem to be contrary to the purpose and calling he has placed on our lives, but are they really contrary or just obstacles to be overcome with his power? Everything he wants to do in and through you is still an 'active call' on your life, regardless of the circumstances. If we won't give up on the calling, he will remain true to his word to fulfill everything he wants to bring to pass in and through our lives.

Prayer is an important part of 'continuing on' when circumstances seem to be pointing us in a different direction. It is the faithful prayers of those who have become your companions in the journey that might just make all the difference for you today. Your circle of friends may be more important to you when the walls are closing in than you realize, but if you don't have those friends, what will you do then? This is why God asks us to 'do life' in community - to share in each other's troubles as well as their celebrations. We need the faithful support of human companions perhaps as much as we need to know Jesus is with us in those dark hours when the dream seems to be coming to an end, don't we?

The thing God wants to do in and through each of us isn't finished, so we shouldn't give up the mission just because the circumstances change. Life will throw us varied challenges. How we meet them and overcome them isn't always entirely ours to do alone - we might just find we need the support of others to overcome what we have been unable to overcome ourselves. The prison walls kept Paul where he was, yet he found a way to continue on in his church planting and mentoring. He had faithful companions in the journey. He learned he could write instructive letters. He was open to doing what God called him to do, but with a different means to do it. How about us? Will we remain faithful to the mission even when the circumstances change? Just askin...