READING: Psalms 20-22, Acts 21:1-17
“And since he would not be persuaded, we fell silent, remarking, ‘The will of the Lord be done!’”
Acts 21:14
Well, yesterday’s devotional thoughts are only more deeply driven into my mind with today’s reading. Paul’s friends pleaded with him not to go to Jerusalem, but he was unflinching in his commitment to pay whatever cost obedience to Christ would demand: “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 21:13). Their weeping and begging had no effect on him, and he was so convinced of the Lord’s will that even his alarmed friends accepted his conclusion. The group fell silent as they agreed with Paul, “The will of the Lord be done!” (Acts 21:14).
My friend and former colleague Dr. John Polhill has noted that some see this experience as “Paul’s Gethsemane.”* There, Paul determined again to follow His Lord’s steps into Jerusalem, where the apostle could face similar opposition that Jesus faced. Yet, just as Jesus prayed for the Father’s will to be done (Luke 22:42), so Paul and his friends echoed that same commitment. Some even continued to travel with him, despite the reality of impending danger.
Here’s what I’m thinking about today, though. The conversations between Paul and his friends must have been honest, but painful ones. Some of his friends even expressed their concern in the power of the Spirit, both warning Paul and pleading with him at the same time. They did not want him to die. In the end, though, Paul was convincing enough that none of his friends would differ with his decision; they trusted him to do precisely what he believed God demanded. Thus, I am left to ponder these questions this day:
- If I believed the Lord was calling me to danger, but my friends and colleagues at first differed with me, would I trust my own walk with God to press on regardless?
- Do I so walk with God that my friends would ultimately not question my understanding?
ACTION STEPS:
- Think about the times in your life when you genuinely prayed, “The Lord’s will be done.” Remember His grace.
- If you must pray that prayer today about some issue in your life, do so in faith.
PRAYER: “God, Your will be done in my life. Period.’”
TOMORROW’S READING: Psalms 23-25, Acts 21:18-40
*John Polhill, Acts, New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1992), 436.