ACTS 24:22-25:
"Now as he reasoned about the righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, "Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you."
God told Paul, "Be of good cheer, it's time to go to Rome." However, God never told Paul that he would be leaving tomorrow, or better yet when they would be leaving at all. This week's scripture is a call to perseverance, but also faith in God's timing. A call to trust God and be patient.
As Paul has been given new orders to leave, he is now called to a personal journey in trusting in God's timing during a two-year period in prison. From the time he was told that God wanted him in Rome to the time he leaves prison, it is more than a two-year time span. Imagine all the doubt, worry, or confusion one would feel during that time of waiting. The questions you would ask, "God you have called me to Rome, why am I still in Jerusalem?"
Timing is one of the hardest parts of a believer's journey. For most people, having faith in God's timing could be just as hard as placing faith in His call. The "when" could be easily harder that the "what or how" for most people. When we look at the basic principles of faith, time is a major thread throughout all of God's promises and believing in who He is. From creation to revelation, to be a follower of Christ means that you are placing your faith in not only God's existence and Jesus's salvation, but also God's timing. Faith in God's timing goes hand in hand with having faith in His existence!
As Christians, we are called to place our trust in God's timing in how the world was formed, how man was created, when sin entered the world, salvation through Christ, and the promise of Jesus's return. God's timing is a part of His promises. Now, if we are called to place our trust in all of the promises of the scriptures concerning His timing, we must also place our trust in the timing He works in our day-to-day lives.
Paul's two-year faith in prison was no different than his faith in that God was real or that Jesus would return one day. Paul's trust in God's timing gave him confidence in what he read in the scriptures, while giving him comfort to persevere in the struggles that he was personally experiencing. There is so much we can learn from this week's text. Paul's perseverance came from his trust, which was born out of his faith. A faith that believed that God was good and sovereign! Paul believed that he would get to Rome, no matter how long it took! He believed this because he trusted in the One who said it.
I pray that we let the truth of the scriptures grow our faith in the same way. Let us trust God through each and every struggle in the same way we trust that each verse of the Bible is true! Let us remember that God's timing is not of this world and ultimately, He has a bigger, greater plan than anything we could imagine and hope for.
Be patient and trust in the Lord, God's is never early or late to what He has promised to be true.
Stay faithful church.
As Paul has been given new orders to leave, he is now called to a personal journey in trusting in God's timing during a two-year period in prison. From the time he was told that God wanted him in Rome to the time he leaves prison, it is more than a two-year time span. Imagine all the doubt, worry, or confusion one would feel during that time of waiting. The questions you would ask, "God you have called me to Rome, why am I still in Jerusalem?"
Timing is one of the hardest parts of a believer's journey. For most people, having faith in God's timing could be just as hard as placing faith in His call. The "when" could be easily harder that the "what or how" for most people. When we look at the basic principles of faith, time is a major thread throughout all of God's promises and believing in who He is. From creation to revelation, to be a follower of Christ means that you are placing your faith in not only God's existence and Jesus's salvation, but also God's timing. Faith in God's timing goes hand in hand with having faith in His existence!
As Christians, we are called to place our trust in God's timing in how the world was formed, how man was created, when sin entered the world, salvation through Christ, and the promise of Jesus's return. God's timing is a part of His promises. Now, if we are called to place our trust in all of the promises of the scriptures concerning His timing, we must also place our trust in the timing He works in our day-to-day lives.
Paul's two-year faith in prison was no different than his faith in that God was real or that Jesus would return one day. Paul's trust in God's timing gave him confidence in what he read in the scriptures, while giving him comfort to persevere in the struggles that he was personally experiencing. There is so much we can learn from this week's text. Paul's perseverance came from his trust, which was born out of his faith. A faith that believed that God was good and sovereign! Paul believed that he would get to Rome, no matter how long it took! He believed this because he trusted in the One who said it.
I pray that we let the truth of the scriptures grow our faith in the same way. Let us trust God through each and every struggle in the same way we trust that each verse of the Bible is true! Let us remember that God's timing is not of this world and ultimately, He has a bigger, greater plan than anything we could imagine and hope for.
Be patient and trust in the Lord, God's is never early or late to what He has promised to be true.
Stay faithful church.
SCRIPTURE TO GO WITH THE MESSAGE
Read Psalms 27 for an encouraging word on faithfully waiting on God.
Posted in Year One