On more than one occasion the Apostle Paul had been imprisoned for the gospel he preached, but on no occasion do we find him sitting there in despair and gloom. Remember in Acts 17 he and Silas conducted a prayer and praise service in a jail cell at Philippi with their feet fastened in the stocks, which led to the conversion of the jailer and his entire household. It was from a prison cell in Rome that he wrote several of his epistles that now form part of our New Testament. It was from that cell he wrote “… in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice” because through his imprisonment all the palace guard and all the rest, (Perhaps all of Caesars household) heard the gospel and that his chins were in Christ Philippians 4:22; also others were emboldened to preach the gospel, 1:12-18. Talk about going through a dry valley, I would say from all natural reasoning Paul would have been there. But he had apparently learned to live in the realms of Psalm 84:6 among those who draw their strength from the Lord, who “pass through the Valley of Baca … make it a spring.” Baca is a type of balsam that can survive in dry conditions; the word also means weeping, and this valley served as a route to approach Zion (where God’s presence dwelt). If you find yourself going through this valley, don’t sit there in remorse but turn it into springs of living water, revel in God’s presence and dig a well so others can drink! (Additional scripture reference Colossians 1:11 Amplified Bible.)
The joy of God’s presence
By Rose Hill
The Apostle Paul to jail they took,
For preaching about Jesus and God’s holy book.
The walls were cold and like rough rocks,
It must have been like being in a cold damp box.
There was only a small hole to let in a little light,
It must have been like a long dark night.
But no, this is not what the Apostle Paul said,
With joy he suffered is what I read.
You might ask, How can that be?
It’s because of the presence of God you see.
Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson Co. used by permission.