The Prison of Freedom

by Don Hatfield

Him. Ask Him to show you things to praise Him for. Yes, Tychicus always start your morning prayers with praise and thankfulness to your Father, to your Savior and to His Holy Spirit. If you do that then prayer will slowly become an enjoyment instead of a boring burden.” I just shook my head in an agreeable motion but I was thinking what wisdom this man had to know that prayer was often very boring to me. I wondered, am I that transparent or are all of us like that when we first get to know our Savior?

  Next discussion. Thankfully, Paul did not let me swim in my embarrassment for too long but in a kind voice said,” Tychicus, we must get back to writing. That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of glory may give you unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.” Paul turned to me and said, “These few words that I have just written are what we believers need. I fear that already we are losing our focus. What we need Tychicus is the revelation from our Father of Himself to us but it is so easy to get caught up in the doing of things instead of just being with Him. He saved us that we might know Him and come into fellowship with Him but we seem to have turned that fellowship into to doing things. It is sad but we now call the doing of things fellowship. Tychicus, the two are very different. You were put in this prison because you were doing something for your Savior. You were telling others about Him. That was a good and wonderful thing. However, you are now in here where there is no one to tell. Will you still seek your Father even in here or is your focus only on the telling? God saved you to become like His Son Jesus. Keep your eyes on the purpose and you will have peace despite the circumstances.” I realized that if Paul had not been in this cell when I came that very likely I would have lost my focus. I would have thought myself to be all alone. I would have complained to God that He was treating me unfairly when I was trying to do so much for Him. Paul’s next words brought this into focus for me. These were the words that he was now writing. “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened that ye may know what is the hope of His calling is and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.” I know that God spoke to me again for I understood that the eyes that Paul were talking about were not the eyes that I see with but the eyes of the Spirit that I had been infused with when I got saved. His Spirit was beginning to shine His light into my spirit or as Paul wrote it He was enlightening my soul. I was beginning to perceive the wealth, the riches, and the glory of what this shabby saint had inherited. I heard a voice say “Tychicus, Tychicus, are you reading this, can you see it? I came back down to earth and smiled. Paul smiled to for he knew that God had been speaking to me.

  Paul then said “Tychicus, it is time for some dinner.” I had been so engrossed in learning about my Savior and Lord that I had not realized that lunch time had slipped by and that it was actually late in the afternoon. We got out our bread, figs and grapes. Paul then thanked our Father for His supply of these things to us and we had a great time eating and conversing with each other. Paul asked me about my life, where I came from and how I came to know the Savior. I told Him that my life had been very sordid up to the point that I came to know Jesus. I was a thief and a lair. I also had to admit that almost every word that came out of my mouth was usually comprised of four letters. I told him that I had gotten caught stealing fruit at a man’s fruit stand. Amazingly enough instead of turning me over to the authorities the man began to tell me about Jesus. He told me of God’s love for me and because of His love He came in the same likeness as me. He came in the likeness of me but He was not like me. He was God in the flesh come down from Heaven to save us who had gone astray from Him. He explained how Jesus had been crucified for our sins and that if I would go to Him and pray and believe that He had done this for one as sinful as I that He would save me from the wrath that was to come. I ran away from the man and hid out in the woods and yet what he had told me kept tugging at my heart. That night as the stars shone in the Heavens I bowed my head and ask Him to save me. I then told Paul that I fell asleep but the next morning when I woke up if was as if God made the morning just for me. The sky seemed to be the bluest that I had ever seen it to be. The grass and trees were a shimmering lovely shade of green. I shyly said to Paul it was like the birds were singing to me welcome home. At this Paul smiled and said, “They were singing to you Tychicus and I join in with them, welcome home.” I then said to Paul, “I do not think there has ever been anyone as sinful as I who came to know Jesus.” Paul looked at me and said, “Tychicus, sometime I will tell you about the chief of sinners but it is growing dark and we must get back to work.” I wondered who this person was that could possibly be worse than I. The thought went through my mind that God’s grace is unfathomable and inexhaustible.

  Next discussion, Paul sat down at the table again and began to write, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe according to the working of His mighty power. I said to Paul, “I do not understand what you just wrote.” Paul said, “You will, Tychicus let me write a little more.” I watched as he wrote, “Which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places.” Paul then said to me, “You see Tychicus when God raised Jesus from the dead He was also showing us that He would resurrect us just as He did with Jesus and that He would also place us in Heaven with Him. He did this Tychicus because of His great love for His Son and His Son’s great love for us. The amazing thing is that we did nothing to deserve any of this. He did it all and will do it all by His grace and power.” When Paul said this we both shouted, “Halleluiah” at the same time and laughed a God given laugh. Paul then turned back to writing the next sentences, far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this world but also in that which is to come. Paul stopped and said, “Tychicus, let’s look at these few words that we have written to the saints at Ephesus. Remember just a minute ago we said that we would be raised with Jesus by Gods exceedingly great power. Tychicus, let’s look at what these powers are that God has raised Jesus above. God put Jesus far above all principalities or in other words He is far above anything that has ever been or ever will be. Tychicus, Jesus is also above all power meaning He is above all government powers, also all might or military power, also all dominions or lordships, kings, queens, princes and every name that is named in this world.” Paul’s voice began to take on that excitement again when he said, “and every name that can be named in any world. Tychicus, God has laid everything at the feet of Jesus and He has made Jesus the head of the church. The church, Tychicus that is us we are his church here on this earth. We are his body, we are the body of His believers who are filled with His presence, His power, and His riches in God. We will be made His completeness He will fill us completely full with Himself.” At this Paul stopped and just sat there and just slowly shook His in wonder and amazement. After a few minutes he turned to me and said, “Tychicus, it has grown too dark to write any longer and I am very tired. Let’s say our prayers and then get some sleep. Paul began to pray and my mind began to think of all the things that God had showed me this day. I must confess that I fell asleep as he was praying but the last thought that I remember having was this. If is this prison, this feeling so close to God then may it continue until He receives me in glory.

  Day Three

  The next morning I was awaken by a sound that I will describe as marching feet. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness I could make out Paul over in the corner walking in place. He was swinging his arms and moving his feet as if marching. Actually, I guess he was marching for every once in a while he would go around in a small circle. I could hear him singing just under his breath. I guess I must have moved a little for he said, “Good morning Tychicus, guess what? I stared at him for a few seconds and then said, “What?” He got a big smile on his face and said, “God is just the same today as He was yesterday. He loves me and you.” He then smiled again and said, “Guess what again?” This time I said with a smile on my face, “What again.” Paul lau
ghed and said, “Though He is the same wonderful God and Savior today as He was yesterday we will not be the same after today for He will reveal some more of Himself to us. He will make us a little more like Jesus today.” He then stopped and said, “We should take care of these bodies that He has allowed us to use.” At this I looked down at my ever growing stomach and said to myself, “Lord Jesus, I too need to take care of what you have allowed me to use.” Paul said, “Tychicus, we will have our time of prayer and communion with our Lord now and then we will eat.” He went over into one corner and I into another. I began to try to pray and then a thought came to me. “Why don’t you just try to thank God for the thousands of things that He has put here for you to enjoy?” I began to think on things such as the warmth of the sun, gentle breezes, and ocean waters. I began to thank Him for beautiful sunsets, and star filled nights. As I began just to thank Him for these pleasures that He allowed me enjoy I think that I actually began to