Did you ever wonder how Paul, sitting in prison, could be so upbeat (see all the references to joy and contentment in the letter to the Philippians, written in the slammer)? I think the answer is found in Acts 20:22-24 and in the next story in chapter 21. In Acts 20: 22-24 Paul says:

And now, I am going to Jerusalem, drawn there irresistibly by the Holy Spirit, not knowing what awaits me, except that the Holy Spirit has told me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead. But my life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus-the work of telling others the Good News about God’s wonderful kindness and love. 20:22-24, New Living Translation

After years of evading capture, now capture was his next assignment.

Once he got to Jerusalem, Acts 21:20-25 tells us that the Christian leaders there suggested a course of conduct that, they felt, should help reduce the controversy around Paul’s presence. Paul should do a seven-day Jewish purification right to demonstrate his continued commitment to Jewish tradition.

And what happened? The course of conduct that was designed to minimize controversy had the exact opposite effect, and was the mechanism by which Paul was arrested (21:27-33). God had an agenda for Paul, and that agenda would not be undone by careful planning to the contrary.

Planning is good. Cultural accommodation should be done wherever possible (1 Corinthians 9:19-23) – and that was the point of the Jerusalem leaders’ plan for Paul. But what if God’s design is expressly to land us in trouble, because that troubled setting is our next assignment – because the people there need to hear the Good News about Jesus?

And so, because Paul knew jail was his assignment, he could concentrate on spreading the Good News about Jesus in this place to which God had sent him (Philippians 1:12-13).

Now, we can’t always claim that the trouble we’ve hit is God’s will – it could be our own foolishness and poor planning that put us there. But all the good planning in the world can’t avoid disaster if God needs someone to communicate His good news to the people who will be in your proximity once you’re in that pickle.

No prosperity gospel here!