Some days we simply can’t seem to find our victory in our walk with Jesus. We do everything the preacher says in order to ensure we’re living right; we study our Bible faithfully; and our bedside carpet has two worn spots where we daily place our knees. Yet, our neighbor threatens a lawsuit over our dog; our daughter is expelled once again; and we show up at work to find we no longer have a job.
“I’m doing everything right,” we tearfully cry out to God. It’s easy to think the world’s out to get us. The truth is, sometimes it is.
Acts 23:12 gives us a view of hidden events boiling behind the scenes in Paul’s life:
“And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.”
And we thought our day was bad! There were over forty men who banded together in this curse. Forty times over they vowed to take Paul’s life. Whether he was sleeping or eating or carrying on a spiritual discussion, they intended to make this day a very bad day for the Apostle.
They were out to get the good guy, never considering that what Paul had to share might indeed be the very word of the almighty God. Thank goodness for Paul’s nephew, who heard of the plot, and went to warn his uncle.
Here’s the deeper truth behind these events: God wasn’t oblivious to Paul’s predicament. The Father in heaven knew of these men’s vow as soon as they made it, and he stepped in to foil their plans. We read of Paul’s rescue by the Chief Captain in Verse 27:
“This man was taken of the Jews, and should have been killed of them: then came I with an army, and rescued him, having understood he was a Roman.”
You see, being a Roman held special privileges. A band of Jews couldn’t simply erase a Roman from the record books just because they didn’t approve of him.
We, as modern-day Christians, are like Paul. We have a pedigree. We are somebody. We can stand up to the evil which threatens to overcome us, and we can proclaim our faith in Christ. God knows when we’re about to go under, and he champions us every time. We can rephrase Verse 27 like this:
“This man (or woman) was crushed by the events of his (or her) life, and would have given up on Jesus: then came I with the heavenly host, and rescued him (or her), because he (or she) was a Christian.”
Come on, World. Show us what you’ve got. Then we’ll show you Jesus. He’s just behind us with all the armies of heaven to back him up.
We’re not fighting alone. The armies of heaven war at our side.
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Code: FGO.D.30.16b.vp.kjv