Acts 23:12-35
Be still: Lord, still my restless heart, gather my senses and speak to me in this reading of your holy Word. Reveal Jesus to me and renew my mind. Amen
Read: Acts 23:12-35
Get ready a detachment of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at nine tonight. Provide horses for Paul so that he may be taken safely to Governor Felix.(v23-24)
Encounter: In the 1950s, Brother Andrew smuggled Bibles in his Volkswagen Beetle into communist eastern Europe. His ministry became an international organisation supporting persecuted Christians around the world —Open Doors. Time and time again, brother Andrew got through border-patrol police without the Bibles being found. His prayer was, 'Lord, make seeing eyes blind.' Sometimes in our journey of faith, we find the person trying to stop us is the person waving us through!
The Roman government, who one day would execute Paul, is seen here protecting him from the 40-strong Jewish assassins who'd sworn an oath to not eat or drink until he was dead. We never know who or what God will use to get us where we need to go – God's ways are much higher than ours. American preacher Dr. J. Vernon McGee writes: 'This is God’s universe, and he does things his way. You may have a better way, but you don’t have a universe.' When we surrender to God’s ways, we often find ourselves surrendering more to the ideas and help of others, because God can use them to get us to the place he wants us. (In this incident, it's the Roman enemy and Paul's young nephew!)
Apply: Is there someone you might be discounting as a help on your journey because of bias or personality clash? Or someone who’s previously broken your trust? We must never discount anyone from the story God wants to tell through us: the same God loves and works in both you and them. There will be miracles from unexpected places and provision from unlikely sources. Maybe our prayer should be, 'Lord, make our blind eyes seeing.'
Devote: Lord, help me to see where you are moving and follow you. Forgive me for discounting anyone’s help. Use anyone and anything to get me to the place you have planned for me. However difficult the journey may be, I surrender again to you. Lead me into freedom.