Americans are stressed. A new poll shows almost half of us say we are more stressed now than we were just 6 months ago. And most say that the reason for their stress is personal finances. The stock market plunged below 10,000 yesterday. A friend shared with me that his business will be filing bankruptcy very soon (the second friend in the past few months to do so). Times are tough. An odd place to look for hope: a Roman prison. My friend, Craig Wansink, probably knows as much about ancient Roman prisons as anyone. He studied them for years and wrote a whole book on them. Ancient Roman prisons were dark, dank and desperate. Full of death. Often all you could hear outside the prison was the wailing and moaning of prisoners. Prisoners were usually held in a cave beneath the ground and often were not fed unless they had friends who came and brought food. Most prisoners either went on to trial and execution or died there in custody from starvation and deprivation. Roman prisons were not holding institutions like our prisons today. Very desperate places. The words used to describe what those prisons were like were very similar to the words first-century Christians used to describe hell. You get the picture - ancient prisons were hellish places. And that is where the apostle Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians. Perhaps his greatest letter. Easily the most joyful text in the Bible. The words "joy" or "rejoice" appear 16 times in this little letter written from the most desperate of places, a prison. That is an average of 4 times per chapter. Perhaps the greatest line comes toward the end of the letter when Paul writes Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. There is a great lesson here. Believers possess a deep joy. That joy saturates their lives, even when they are suffering, desperate, or in prison. That joy cures anxiety and leads to peace. Believers possess that joy because they know who they are and what they are not. They are not defined by what they own or how much they have. They are not defined by reputation or profession. Believers know they belong to God. Their citizenship is in heaven. And that God will never abandon them. Ever. Their identity is in Christ. That identity allowed the apostle Paul to write those powerful words from the most desperate place. And he also wrote these in the same letter: ... I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.I can do everything through him who gives me strength. So what? Roman prisons remind us today that we belong to God. That joy overcomes our anxiety, leads to interior peace, and grows us into contentment. Very simply, faith overcomes fear.