Acts 23:6-11 (ESV)

Now when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.” And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. Then a great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees' party stood up and contended sharply, “We find nothing wrong in this man. What if a spirit or an angel spoke to him?” And when the dissension became violent, the tribune, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him away from among them by force and bring him into the barracks.

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.”

Here we go again. The tribune has to remove Paul because he’s afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them. Now Paul is imprisoned, just as prophesied.

But now we know why. 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.”

As usual, we see that God’s agenda is not about pain avoidance. The purpose of all this is for Paul to testify. God has no problem with Paul going to prison if it gets the testimony out.

God warned Paul that he would be imprisoned to prepare him. Earlier, God warned Paul that he must suffer for the sake of my name, (Acts 9:16, ESV) for the same reason. He wanted Paul to know what to expect.

But there’s another point here. Recall that going to Rome was already on Paul’s agenda.

Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” – Acts 19:21 (ESV)

The Lord is telling him that he’ll make it.

We often think about, and pray about, what God is calling us to do. But we rarely think about, and pray about, what God is preparing us to do. Today, let’s pursue that line.

Can you see a training or preparation pattern in the roads God has put you on (especially the trials and challenges)? What have you learned? How have you grown? What might this be preparing you for? This could be something as straightforward as a job in the church. For example, struggling with a difficult child could be preparing you to help with Sunday School. Something surprising could be in the works.

Ask the Lord to help you see your trials and your growth in context.

The weekly study guides, which include discussion questions, are available for download here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies