"As a result, it has become clear  throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ." Philippians 1:13 NIV

He was in chains. Have you ever been chained to another person for a number of years? A Palace Guard is a Roman soldier who is powerful and rough. I suppose Paul was able to charm him, and the love of God won the guard over time.

Being chained meant Paul was never alone. Did he have to be chained to go to the bathroom? Probably. Sounds as if the guard was in jail too, or maybe there were shifts? 

Paul says he had joy knowing this church was his partner in the gospel in verse 5. He rejoiced to know the gospel was being preached in verse 18.

Was Our Apostle ever lonely, afraid, or cold? I'm sure he was. He was like us. He was prone to all emotions as we are, but he was not defeated. What makes him different from you and I? He didn't take his eyes off of Jesus. 

I can be fixated on my circumstances so easily, but God has a way of changing me too. Have you noticed how God can bring about different situations to show us our hearts?

Will I trust him if someone I love is hurt or sick? Can I trust God to care for me even when the paycheck is nowhere in sight? Is He still Lord of my life when tragedy strikes?

Yes, He is. He is able to take our worst situations and turn them around. We don't always understand why God allows someone to die and another to live. We don't know why one house is destroyed and another is left untouched. What we can do is know God is good, all the time. 

We can trust His heart even when we don't understand His hand.