Two whole years Paul was in custody with Felix, the governor of the region. Think about that for a second. Two years. He had broken no law, committed no crime, and because Felix was hoping to do the Jews a favor, and because he was hoping for a bribe, he kept Paul in custody.
Paul’s situation was not all bad. His friends could visit him and provide him with food and clothing. He could write and send letters, which he did. Some of those letters are part of the Bible! He had the opportunity to share the gospel with some frequency with Felix and his wife Drusilla, an opportunity he took full advantage of!
At the same time, if this was a typical Roman house arrest, Paul would have been chained to a guard. He would never have privacy. There would always be a manacle. The irritation of being chained would be continually present.
It just doesn’t seem right. But God allowed it to happen. He could have freed Paul, you know. He freed Peter earlier. Why did God allow this to happen? It would seem that part of that question is answered in the next chapter: to get Paul to Rome. God would use this to get Paul where He wanted him to be.
The same could be said of Joseph in the Old Testament; sold into slavery by his brothers, unjustly accused and jailed, yet eventually raised as second in command of all Egypt. It was a long slow road to get there, but God got Joseph to where He wanted him to be.
In the same way, God will get us where he wants us to be.
What is going on in your life right now? What is hard? What is difficult? What is it that is almost unbearable? God will use it. Paul wrote in Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” We might not see how at this very moment God can work good from our situation, but He can and He will. Everything in our lives can serve the greater purpose of God’s kingdom as He guides us through this world into our heavenly home.
When I think about Romans 8:28, I often think of the story of the tapestry.
There was a little boy sitting at his mother's feet as she was sewing a tapestry. There were knots, and strings and threads and they were all crossed in various ways and it was ugly! The little boy wondered why his mother would spend so much time making something so obviously hideous.
His mother smiled at him and told him, “You are looking at it all wrong!” and then she showed him the other side which was beautiful and perfect.
That is very much how this life is for us. We see things from underneath; from our human perspective. The entire time, GOD is weaving the tapestry of our lives from up above, and He sees our lives from HIS perspective. He sees the right side of that tapestry. We see the sin and mess of this world, but He sees our lives through Jesus’ redemption and blesses us.
Father, when we doubt what is happening in our lives, help us to trust your love in Jesus. Amen.
Paul’s situation was not all bad. His friends could visit him and provide him with food and clothing. He could write and send letters, which he did. Some of those letters are part of the Bible! He had the opportunity to share the gospel with some frequency with Felix and his wife Drusilla, an opportunity he took full advantage of!
At the same time, if this was a typical Roman house arrest, Paul would have been chained to a guard. He would never have privacy. There would always be a manacle. The irritation of being chained would be continually present.
It just doesn’t seem right. But God allowed it to happen. He could have freed Paul, you know. He freed Peter earlier. Why did God allow this to happen? It would seem that part of that question is answered in the next chapter: to get Paul to Rome. God would use this to get Paul where He wanted him to be.
The same could be said of Joseph in the Old Testament; sold into slavery by his brothers, unjustly accused and jailed, yet eventually raised as second in command of all Egypt. It was a long slow road to get there, but God got Joseph to where He wanted him to be.
In the same way, God will get us where he wants us to be.
What is going on in your life right now? What is hard? What is difficult? What is it that is almost unbearable? God will use it. Paul wrote in Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” We might not see how at this very moment God can work good from our situation, but He can and He will. Everything in our lives can serve the greater purpose of God’s kingdom as He guides us through this world into our heavenly home.
When I think about Romans 8:28, I often think of the story of the tapestry.
There was a little boy sitting at his mother's feet as she was sewing a tapestry. There were knots, and strings and threads and they were all crossed in various ways and it was ugly! The little boy wondered why his mother would spend so much time making something so obviously hideous.
His mother smiled at him and told him, “You are looking at it all wrong!” and then she showed him the other side which was beautiful and perfect.
That is very much how this life is for us. We see things from underneath; from our human perspective. The entire time, GOD is weaving the tapestry of our lives from up above, and He sees our lives from HIS perspective. He sees the right side of that tapestry. We see the sin and mess of this world, but He sees our lives through Jesus’ redemption and blesses us.
Father, when we doubt what is happening in our lives, help us to trust your love in Jesus. Amen.
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