"The Consolation" (Acts 23:11)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/22/2018 9:45 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                                      Focus:  The Consolation

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                           Reference:  Acts 23:11

 

            Message of the verses:  “11 But on the night immediately following, the Lord stood at his side and said, "Take courage; for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also."”

 

            Paul was kept at Fort Antonia, which was very near the temple, as the Roman’s kept Paul there to insure his safety.  As we think about the condition of the Apostle Paul at this time, we would probably conclude that perhaps his mental condition was not really as good as perhaps it should be.  He knew that the Spirit of God had sent him into Jerusalem for His purposes, and yet here he sits in a prison cell, badly beaten from the blows that he took at his so-called trial wondering about his future, what the Lord would want him to do next as he had just completed his third missionary journey.  I have to believe that Paul was a bit discouraged because of all that he went through, and to top it all he was alone, not having any of his companions with him to help comfort him.  Well we read the following from verse 23:11 “on the night immediately following,” and this speaks of his so-called trial, “the Lord stood at his side.”  Let us look at some verses that we have already looked at from the book of Acts to show that this was not the only time that this occurred in his life.  “And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, "Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; (Acts 18:9).”  “17 “It happened when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I fell into a trance, 18 and I saw Him saying to me, ’Make haste, and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about Me.’ 19 “And I said, ’Lord, they themselves understand that in one synagogue after another I used to imprison and beat those who believed in You. 20 ’And when the blood of Your witness Stephen was being shed, I also was standing by approving, and watching out for the coats of those who were slaying him.’ 21 “And He said to me, ’Go! For I will send you far away to the Gentiles’ (Acts 22:17-21).”  (This was from Paul’s speech in Jerusalem before he was arrested.)

 

            As the Lord began to talk to Paul he began by consoling him, exhorting him to “take courage.”  Let us look at a couple verses from 2 Corinthians to show that God graciously comforts His downcast servants “3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, “4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ (2 Cor. 1:3-5).”  Paul then goes on later in 2 Corinthians to write that he was filled with comfort (7:4), and the reason was because God comforts the depressed (7:6).

 

            The Lord goes on to commend Paul for witnessing to His cause in Jerusalem.  Paul had successfully completed the task the Lord had given him to do at Jerusalem, something that Paul knew that was a part of the reason for him being in Jerusalem.

 

            Lastly the Lord tells Paul that he would also be a witness of the cause of Christ in Rome, something we have mentioned that was what Paul desired to do.  “9  For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you, 10  always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you. 11 For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established; (Romans 1:9-11).”  “but now, with no further place for me in these regions, and since I have had for many years a longing to come to you (Rom. 15:23).”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I am thankful that the Lord does bring comfort to me when I am in need of comfort.  One of the ways He does this is through my reading of the book of Psalms.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to pray for our Evangelism Explosion teams as they go out to talk to families that the Lord directs them to go to.

 

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Revelation.”

 

Today’s Bible Question:  “What day and year was the tabernacle actually built?”

 

Answer in our next SD.

 

8/22/2018 10:21 AM