God Is With Me All The Time

Acts 21:12-14 -   And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem.   Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart?  for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.    And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done.  

 

Paul had been following the leading of the Holy Spirit and traveling as quickly as he could to Jerusalem. As he traveled toward the city…not just once…but twice prophecy is recorded that it was dangerous for him to go. One man said he would be bound….and jailed…. when he got there. His closest friends were upset…and begged him not to go…but Paul returned their pleading with these strong words of decision for Christ.

 

Paul was so single minded…so driven by just God…that he was ready not just to be bound and jailed again….he was ready to die for Christ if need be. Paul’s words were so effective that he convinced his friends to let him go with no more fuss. They used the very words of Christ when he prayed in the garden just before his crucifixion…God’s will be done.

 

I admit that I have a long way to go before I could match Paul’s resolve to die for Christ.  I needed the reminder that I need to pray for God’s will in all situations to be done…no matter what trouble or heartache it may bring to my heart personally.  I need to pray for Paul’s resolve to do God’s will…the courage to do it…and the peace that passes all understanding to accept it as a part of God’s master plan. As the old song Through The Fire says….God never promised that the cross would not get heavy…and the hill would not be hard to climb…but he did offer to hold our hand the entire time.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that you are with me all the time. Forgive me for the times that I have stopped looking to you for my strength …and allowed the world to tell me it was time to give up.  Give me a new resolve to follow your will for my life…no matter what…and pair that new resolve with the courage and strength to listen to only you tell me what to do.   Amen.