Be Encouraged

Scripture: Acts 22:30 – 23:11

That night the Lord appeared to Paul and said, “Be encouraged, Paul. Just as you have told the people about me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome.” (Acts 23:11 NLT)

Paul was imprisoned in the Fortress of Antonia in Jerusalem while the Roman officials tried to figure out why the Jerusalem Jews hated him so much, and what to do with him next. Paul had no control over his circumstances, his situation, or his future. He had traveled to Jerusalem to visit the church and had done his best to honor the Jewish customs. Still they rioted against him, and here he was imprisoned in the fortress of Antonia, mostly to keep him alive! The Romans didn’t know what to do with him, and the Jews wanted him dead.

Paul had talked for years about his desire to go to Rome. In the night, Jesus appeared to Paul and encouraged him with the promise that he would preach the Good News in Rome. Then he knew this desire was going to be fulfilled.

With encouragement like that, from the Lord himself, I would have been thinking: “Ok, now I have a word from the Lord. I’ll be out of here and on my way to Rome by morning! It’s going to be great! I’ll travel up to Antioch, the church will finance the trip, and I’ll sail into Rome in style.”

Instead, Paul left town late the next night under cover of darkness, escorted by Roman soldiers, who delivered him to the regional governor Felix, who placed him in another prison in Caesarea. Paul would spend the next two years in prison in Caesarea, until the governor was replaced. When the new governor took office the Jews tried to get Paul sent to Jerusalem, planning to ambush and kill him on the way. Paul used his Roman citizenship to appeal his case to Caesar! He was sent to Rome as a prisoner, survived a shipwreck, and spent his time in Rome under house arrest. It was more than two and a half years from promise to fulfillment.

Here’s my point: From that night—the night Jesus told him he would preach the Good News in Rome—Paul knew his destination. He had no control over the journey, the process, or the timing, but he lived each out-of-control day with the confidence he would preach God’s Good News in Rome.

Prayer:

Father, Through the years, you have given Jean and me some encouraging promises about the future. I believe you and I purpose to live each out-of-control day with the confidence that you will do exactly what you have promised. Amen. (I don’t suppose I could talk you into doing it the way I think best? I didn’t think so!) Amen.