For the last several weeks, I have been in the book of Acts for my morning quiet time. I’m nearing the end now—the part where the apostle Paul is taken by ship to Rome to stand trial before Caesar. And here’s what gives…
The Lord has told Paul that this is his future—to stand before Roman authority and preach the Good News. In other words, Paul is heading in the right direction.
Then why in the world is every few paragraphs about…
- A strong head wind preventing them from moving forward
- A mutinous crew on the ship
- Defiant officers aboard
- A storm strong enough to sink the ship
- An actual shipwreck
- Potential drowning
- An attempt to go ahead and put all the prisoners to death rather than letting them escape
It’s unbelievable! The obstacles Paul faces while heading the right direction and being smack dab in the middle of God’s will!
That’s when it hit me—via a little help from the quiet time commentary…
The focus of the Bible isn’t on the who or why of our pain, but on the who of our response.
* Don’t forget to invite your friends this weekend as we talk about “Divinity and drinking.” Scary! Who has got my back?!