HIS WILL SHALL BE DONE THROUGH YOU!
The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.” —Acts 23:11
Now the son of Paul’s sister heard of their ambush, so he went and entered the barracks and told Paul. Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the tribune, for he has something to tell him.” —Acts 23:16-17
And he wrote a letter to this effect: “Claudius Lysias, to his Excellency the governor Felix, greetings. This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them when I came upon them with the soldiers and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman citizen. And desiring to know the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their council. I found that he was being accused about questions of their law, but charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment. And when it was disclosed to me that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, ordering his accusers also to state before you what they have against him.” 31 —Acts 23:25-32
The Jews wanted to kill Paul and had made a plan to do so, but the Lord Jesus already communicated to him that “as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.” What the Lord plans to do cannot be thwarted by man. We should take great comfort in knowing that our lives are safe in His hands. His plan will be worked out in our lives.
Paul’s nephew had gotten wind of the Jews planned ambush of Paul and told Paul about it. Paul in turn “called one of the centurions and said, ‘Take this young man to the tribune, for he has something to tell him.”’ After the tribune heard about this “he called two of the centurions and said, ‘Get ready two hundred soldiers, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go as far as Caesarea at the third hour of the night. Also provide mounts for Paul to ride and bring him safely to Felix the governor”’ (Acts 23:23-24). Our Lord was working through the government to protect Paul! And what protection— “two hundred soldiers, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen!”
Not only that but the tribune also wrote to Governor Felix that Paul was “charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment.” And yet Paul was a prisoner sent off to the governor and after “two years had elapsed; Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And desiring to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison” (Acts 24:27). It is interesting that later King Agrippa and others who had heard Paul’s testimony would conclude the same thing about Paul as did the tribune— “And when they had withdrawn, they said to one another, ‘This man is doing nothing to deserve death or imprisonment.” And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar” (Acts 26:31-32). Now Paul was headed to Rome!
Our Lord God Almighty will work through government leaders, circumstances or anything or anyone He desires to accomplish His will. He told Paul that he would testify in Rome and He was working through the government to move Paul there. Some might view Paul’s imprisonment as wrongly put there and so was the case, but God was working through the “wrongly put there” to accomplish His purposes through Paul. What man thinks might be bad God takes and uses it for good. Hmmm… think about that! Romans 8:28 is a fact!
Dear Father please help me to patiently wait on You and serve You while waiting for You to accomplish Your desires even through difficult circumstances. May this be so in the power of Your Holy Spirit and in the authority of Jesus. So be it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gjXBMC8-oM