Now from the descendants of Noah’s son Shem came a man named Terah, who was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. After Terah died, the Lord spoke to Abram giving him instructions and a promise.

“Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” – Genesis 12:1-3

Leave and go where I show you to go – this is the first element of God’s promise. It requires more than just initial obedience of leaving all he knows. It also requires continual obedience and submission, following wherever God leads each day. Abram does this and receives confirmation of the promise as the Lord appeared to him again in Canaan, “I will give this land to your descendants” (12:7).

I will make you into a great nation and bless you – God promises Abram that he will be blessed and grow into a great nation. This promise has great significance to Abram because his wife, Sarai, has been unable to become pregnant and they have no children (11:30). Yet God promises Abram descendants.

You will be a blessing to others…all the families on earth will be blessed through you – this promise was not just about and for the benefit of Abram. It was much larger than that. There were so many other people who would be blessed through this promise, so many others relying on Abram’s faith in God – literally everyone!

I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt – God promises protection of Abram and guardianship of His promise. Unfortunately, Abram did not remember this part of the promise when he arrived with Sarai and his nephew Lot (Haran’s son) in Egypt.

There was a severe famine, forcing Abram to go to Egypt to find food. Now Sarai was very beautiful and Abram feared the Egyptians would kill him in order to have her. Instead of relying on God to fulfill His promise, Abram took matters into his own hands and deceived the Egyptians by telling them Sarai was his sister – which she very well may have been but he failed to mention she was also his wife. God had promised to protect Abram from harm but Abram still felt the need to protect himself through deception.

Everyone did notice Sarai’s beauty and she was taken to Pharoah to be his wife. Terrible plagues came upon Pharoah and his household because of Sarai. Pharoah gave her back to Abram and commanded him to leave Egypt – the place they had fled to in order to survive the famine.

Abram left Egypt and traveled to the region between Bethel and Ai. Their group was quite large so Abram offered to split the land with Lot, giving Lot his first choice of which land he wanted. “If you want the land to the left, then I’ll take the land on the right. If you prefer the land on the right, then I’ll go to the left” (13:9).

Now all the land to the east of them in the Jordan Valley was very fertile and well watered, obviously the best choice of land. Perhaps Abram has learned something from his journey through Egypt. He knows that it is not the land itself that will bless him but that God will bless him regardless of which piece of land he gets. After Lot chose the better half, the Lord confirmed his promise to Abram a third time:

“Look as far as you can see in EVERY direction – north and south, east and west. I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent possession. And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted! Go and walk through the land in every direction, for I am giving it to you.” – Genesis 13:14-17

There was a battle between the kings in the nations around Abram and Lot was caught in the battle (14:1-24). Abram rescued Lot, as well as many others who had been caught in the conflict. The king of Sodom was so grateful that he wanted to give all the goods captured to Abram as a gift. Just as Abram now knew that God was the source of his protection, he also knew God was the source of his blessings. He refused the gifts and kept his eyes on God – his protector and his provider.

Dear God, thank you for your promises. May we respond in obedience to your call on our lives, just as Abram did. May we trust you for our protection and for every blessing in life. Show us the areas of our lives in which we are taking things into our own hands, trusting in our own abilities instead of relying on you. Remind us today, oh Lord, of your many promises. Remind me that everything good in my life is not a result of my own effort, but evidence of your promise, your protection and your provision. Amen.

After the flood, Noah began to cultivate the ground, and he planted a vineyard. One day he drank some wine he had made, and he became drunk and lay naked inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked and went outside and told his brothers. – Genesis 9:20-22

This was the mistake that would change the course of Ham’s life. It was an issue of disloyalty and thinking of himself before thinking of someone else. Ham had the opportunity to take responsibility and cover his father. Instead of taking action out of respect for his father, Ham went outside and told his brothers, who took care of covering their father. Ham shirked his responsibility and brought shame to his father. Noah cursed Ham’s descendants to a life of servanthood (9:26-27) – if you don’t want to help take care of family, you will spend the rest of your life with no choice but to take care of others.

Ham was not the only of Noah’s descendants to think too much of himself. Ham had four sons but it was his son Canaan on whom the curse landed. But with the curse of servanthood did not come a humble spirit. The desire to be famous and rise above the curse remained. The tendency to think too much of themselves remained.

The descendants of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan…Cush was also the ancestor of Nimrod, who was the first heroic warrior on earth. Since he was the greatest hunter in the world, his name became proverbial. People would say, “This man is like Nimrod, the greatest hunter in the world.” He built his kingdom in the land of Babylonia, with the cities of Babylon, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh… – Genesis 10:6-10

Recognize Babylon? Babylon becomes the epicenter of arrogance and idolatry. This is where it begins. The descendants of Nimrod thought too much of themselves. I find it ironic that today’s slang definition of “nimrod” means idiot or jerk. Nimrod found too much pride in being a heroic warrior and hunter, but pride comes before a fall (Proverbs 16:18). Nimrod’s descendants are about to experience a fall like no other.

At one time all the people of the world spoke the same language and used the same words. As the people migrated to the east, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia and settled there.

They began saying to each other, “Let’s make bricks and harden them with fire.” (In this region bricks were used instead of stone, and tar was used for mortar.) Then they said, “Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.” – Genesis 11:1-4

With a shortage of stone in that area, the people used innovation and created bricks. Rather than recognizing this as a gift from God, they found excitement in the idea that they might become famous for their creation. If they could build a great tower made of bricks, the world would hear and see how wonderful they were. They would become famous and there would be no need to ever leave their earthly kingdom.

Consider the sin of Adam and Eve. The serpent tempted them with the possibility of becoming like God. Eve was easily convinced by the serpent and her desire for wisdom like God’s caused her to sin. Adam witnessed the whole thing and joined in this self-ambitious sin. They were banished from the garden, made to leave the area they had come to love.

The people of Babylon desired to be as powerful and famous as God. Their longing for fame and fortune was stronger than their love for God. Their desire to stay there and not be scattered all over the world resulted in just that – banishment and the scattering of people across the region.

But the Lord came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building. “Look!” he said. “The people are united and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them! Come, let’s go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won’t be able to understand each other.”

In that way, the Lord scattered them all over the world, and they stopped building the city. That is why the city was called Babel, because that is where the Lord confused the people with different languages. In this way he scattered them all over the world. – Genesis 11:5-9

God, humble us today. May we see every good and wonderful thing in our lives as a gift from you. May every blessing be evidence of your generosity. Forgive us for our moments of pride. We long to be your servants for your Kingdom rather than building our own fame and fortune. Help us to see the needs of others and respond with help rather than gossip. Help us to see every obstacle as an opportunity to see you glorified, not us. Amen.

But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you (Genesis 4:7b). Unfortunately, most of Adam’s descendants refused to do what was right.

The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart. And the Lord said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing – all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them.” But Noah found favor with the Lord. – Genesis 6:5-8

There are 2 men in the account of Adam’s descendants in chapter 5 of Genesis who were described as “walking in close fellowship with God” – Enoch and Noah. But what God did with their faithfulness was very different.

Enoch lived in close fellowship with God for another 300 years, and he had many other sons and daughters. Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him. – Genesis 5:22-24

In comparison to the life span of the other descendants of Adam in this account, Enoch lived a very short life. If we put it in our terms today, it would be like someone dying around age 40. Enoch was faithful to God and lived in close relationship with Him, but God chose to take Enoch from earth early in his life to go and be with God. Noah was also a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he also walked in close fellowship with God (6:9). God had a different plan for Noah – a plan to keep him on earth for God’s purposes.

This stands out to me this morning as I consider the many times I have wondered why God took one of His faithful followers to be with Him instead of healing them or sparing them physical harm. God has different plans for different people and it is not always easy to understand His reasons, but we can always trust His heart. Both Enoch and Noah found favor with God, but His loving response differed from one situation to another – yet God remains the same faithful and loving God. God simply wasn’t done with Noah.

God chose to wipe all living creatures from the earth because of the violence that was everywhere. But, because of the faithfulness of one man, God created a plan to spare Noah and his family.

God told Noah that he was going to cover the earth with a flood. Noah had never experienced a flood but he trusted God. God told Noah to build a boat. Noah had never seen a boat but he trusted God. Everything God told Noah to do, he did exactly as God commanded him (6:22; 7:5). And everything God said He was going to do, He did – in His time.

It rained for 40 days and the floodwaters covered the earth for 150 days. After 5 months, Noah released a bird to see if the floodwaters on the earth had dried up. But the bird came back because there was no place for it to land. It was not God’s time. Noah sent out a dove, but again the bird came back. It was not God’s time. Seven days later, Noah released another dove and it came back with a fresh olive leaf in its beak. It was still not God’s time but a sign from God that the time was drawing near. Seven days later, Noah released a third dove and it did not come back. Still Noah waited for God’s instructions (Genesis 8).

Then God said to Noah, “Leave the boat…” So Noah, his wife, and his sons and their wives left the boat (8:15,18).

God told Noah before the flood that He would confirm His covenant with Noah (6:18). The first thing Noah did after emptying the animals from the boat was to build an altar to the Lord and sacrifice burnt offerings to Him. God then spoke His covenant or promise to Noah:

“I will never again curse the ground because of the human race, even though everything they think or imagine is bent toward evil from childhood. I will never again destroy all living things. As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.” – Genesis 8:21-22

Just as He promised, God confirmed His covenant with Noah. He also gave him a sign of his covenant, a promise for all future generations to see and be reminded that God keeps His promises. God sent a rainbow – an image of peace after the storm and a reminder of God’s eternal covenant with us.

For God’s purposes…in His time…because I choose to believe He is a God who keeps His promises.

“Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” – Genesis 4:7

When God placed Adam in the garden with the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good & evil, the opportunity to sin was created. God blessed Adam generously but asked for obedience in this one area – do not eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good & evil. Disobedience would mean death.

God surrounded Adam with beautiful trees that produced delicious fruit (2:9). He gave him a job to do. Now that he is done naming all of the animals, God gives him the responsibility of tending the garden and watching over it (2:15). So God made it clear – this is what I want you to do and this is what I do not want you to do. Tend and watch over the garden but do not eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good & evil. The opportunity to sin existed but God had fully equipped Adam with everything that he needed so that he could resist sin and choose life.

God saw that Adam had one more unmet need, the need for intimate companionship. God took one of Adam’s ribs and created from the rib a woman – Eve (2:22). There was now something missing from Adam that could be completed when united with his wife. This union was a beautiful thing, a gift from God, yet another opportunity to sin if not used the way God intended.

So Adam & Eve had a choice – to do what is right or to refuse to do what is right. Sin was crouching nearby, just waiting for the opportunity to control Adam & Eve. The serpent convinced Eve that there was something missing from her life, something God was withholding from her through His rules of right and wrong. Eve had a choice and chose to be deceived by the beauty of the tree’s fruit and the desire for wisdom independent from God. She ate of the fruit. Adam watched all of this occur (3:6) and joined her in doing what they had specifically been commanded not to do.

At that moment their eyes were opened and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness (3:7a).

And with shame came blame. When confronted with their sin, Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent. Their response was essentially – it’s not my fault! No one was willing to take responsibility for their actions.

Their son, Cain, played the same blame game after killing his brother in a jealous response to Abel’s choice to do what was right. God warned Cain that his anger was inviting sin to come and control him. He commanded Cain to subdue the sinful anger and stay in control, but Cain chose to wrap himself in self-pity and anger. When asked where his brother was, Cain basically responded – it’s not my responsibility!

Cain was given the choice to do what was right or to refuse to do what was right. He chose the latter and God punished him for his sins. When confronted with his sin, Cain could have chosen repentance and confession. His response was instead (4:13-14) – it’s not fair!

Do these responses sound familiar? We continue to hear them today, sometimes from other people and sometimes coming from our own mouth. It’s not my fault! It’s not my responsibility! It’s not fair! God’s response remains the same. He warns us – Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. He advises us – Subdue sin and be its master rather than letting it master you. God makes it clear, just as He did for Adam. This is what I want you to do and this is what I do not want you to do. We have the same choice Cain did. We can do what is right or we can refuse to do what is right.

“Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” – Genesis 4:7

Lord, we ask for wisdom today – Your wisdom. Give us eyes to see sin crouching near us. May your Spirit be a reminder and the source of strength to choose what is right. Reveal in us any sinful responses such as – It’s not my fault! It’s not my responsibility! It’s not fair! Father, we look to you and we place this day in your capable hands. Amen.

What is the purpose of our creation? What were we created for? We can find this answer by looking back at the account of creation. There we find God’s first instructions to His creation.

Then God said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation – every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And that is what happened. – Genesis 1:11

So God created man in his own image; in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it…” – Genesis 1:27-28a

So what is the purpose of creation and, therefore, God’s call on my life? To bear fruit – to produce fruit with seed in it that will then produce more fruit with seed, which will produce more fruit with seed…

So how do we do bear fruit? What does it mean to be fruitful? Jeremiah 17:7-8 teaches us that we can bear fruit by trusting in the Lord and by “remaining in the vine” – even when life around us is pressing in.

But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit. – Jeremiah 17:7-8

So the purpose of our existence in this imperfect world is to be fruitful. When the heat is increasing and we experience a time of drought, God promises to be the source of our needs so that we can remain “green.” We need God, in good times and in bad, and so what better place to be than along His riverbank with our roots reaching deep into His living water.

“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.” – John 15:1-4

This is why I wake up each morning and enter into God’s presence with a hot cup of my morning coffee. I long to grow my roots deeper into the soil of His word. I desire to be pruned and perfected for His purposes. I long to remain in Him and have Him remain in me so that I can bear fruit – the purpose of my creation and the purpose of my existence, but also the purpose of my salvation.

So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. – Romans 7:4

If I want to please God, if I want to be in the center of His will for my life, I must bear fruit that bears fruit. This is what I was created for, what I continue to exist for, and what I was saved for – to be fruitful and increase.

So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. – Colossians 1:9-14

Lord, we enter into your presence and ask for a fresh filling of your Spirit. We sit at your feet and sip from your Word, asking for spiritual wisdom and understanding. May our lives always honor and please you, O God – not by our own effort but because our roots are established deeply in you. Lord, we long to watch you produce good fruit through us today – seed-bearing fruit that will itself grow and create more seed-bearing fruit so that your will can be accomplished and your gospel advanced. This is what you created us for, what we exist for and what we were saved for. We long to know you better and better, Father – to grow as we learn at your riverbanks. Amen.

An abrupt change – That is what Paul and those on the ship to Italy experienced. It was not a good time for water travel because it was late in the Fall and a change in weather is to be expected. Paul advised the men that there would be trouble ahead if they sailed – shipwreck, loss of cargo and danger to lives. But the officer in charge of the prisoners listened more to the ship’s captain and the owner than to Paul (27:11b).

Even though common sense said it was a bad idea, and even though Paul had predicted trouble if they went forward with their plan, the men did not want to spend their winter in Fair Havens. They wanted to make it at least as far as the harbor in Phoenix. Oh, how often I push forward with my own plans even though I know it is unwise!

When a light wind began blowing form the south, the sailors thought they could make it. So they pulled up anchor and sailed close to the shore of Crete. But the weather changed abruptly, and a wind of typhoon strength (called a “northeaster”) burst across the island and blew us out to sea. The sailors couldn’t turn the ship into the wind, so they gave up and let it run before the gale (Acts 27:13-15).

This reminds me of the times when we see the error of our ways or the foolishness of our decisions. We try to change course or survive our bad decisions but our efforts make very little difference. It seems like everything is going well, according to our plan, and then some circumstance abruptly changes and we find ourselves in the middle of a storm.

Scripture says those on the boat were afraid. They tried everything. They threw cargo overboard, they bound ropes around the hull of the ship in order to strengthen it, and they even threw some of the ship’s gear overboard. They lowered the anchor and drug it in hopes of slowing the boat down but they were driven by the wind. The terrible storm raged on, blotting out the sun and the stars, until at last all hope was gone (27:20).

Driven by the wind – When we give up, we often let the circumstances and the decisions of others around us drive our life. We have stopped trying to win the battle and we just let life happen. But that is not God’s desire for us. He wants to be the One driving our life – determining our direction and guiding our decisions.

Well, Paul’s story ended well. God granted safety to everyone sailing with Paul. Paul led them in a time of prayer and the next morning they saw a bay with a beach. They attempted to make it to shore but the boat ran aground in the shallow water. They jumped out of the boat and headed to shore – some swam and some floated to shore on debris from the ship.

Sometimes we are able to “swim” to the shore God has provided but sometimes God uses the debris from our shipwreck to get us to where He wants us to be. We find ourselves in a situation that was never God’s plan for us, but He rescues us and provides an escape when we turn to Him for help. Sometimes it is those things that were never meant to happen that God uses to take us from the disaster we have created to the haven of rest He has prepared.

For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love and sound judgment. – 2 Timothy 1:7

Thank you, God, for your goodness and for your grace. I praise you for you are a God who rescues, even when I am the cause of my need to be rescued. You are patient and you are kind. Lord, today I ask that you direct my path. I desire to follow your lead and sail down the path you have for me. I love you, Lord. Amen.

Paul, the man who had persecuted Christians and pursued them like prey, is now the victim of the same kind of persecution. He had this incredible encounter on the road to Damascus, which became a life-changing experience. He repented of his sins, was baptized and responded to God’s call on his life. And he lived happily ever after…

No, that is not exactly what happened. Paul experienced wonderful times where the message of Jesus Christ was accepted, people were healed, and new believers were baptized. But there were also very difficult times for Paul. More than once he was mobbed, arrested, beaten and imprisoned. The crowd even followed behind him shouting, “Kill him, kill him!” (Acts 21:36)

So here is the age-old question: Why do bad things happen to good people? Paul is an excellent example. If Paul had submitted to the Lordship of Christ and was giving his life to preaching the gospel of Jesus, why was he experiencing such horrible persecution?

I have a Christian friend who is going through radiation right now, fighting the cancer that was recently discovered. She gives more time to the Church and pours her heart out in ministry as much or more than most Christians do. Yet she has cancer.

I have a Christian friend who was in a terrible accident four weeks ago. She has a husband who loves her so much and a little boy who needs his mommy, but she remains hospitalized and is fighting for her life.

I could go on for pages – infidelity, divorce, disease, heartbreak, persecution, unemployment, financial hardships, loss and grief. The reality is that we live in an imperfect world. We may serve a perfect God but there’s no guarantee we will never experience a difficult time. But I’m encouraged by how Paul’s story ends in this passage.

Paul had experienced two very difficult days. What started out as a morning trip to the Temple to start the purification ritual, ended up with false accusations and a mobbing, which turned into a full-blown riot. Paul was grabbed and dragged out of the Temple. As the Jews were trying to kill Paul, Roman officers arrived and arrested him, placing him in chains. The crowd was so violent they had to lift Paul over their shoulders to protect him. Paul tried to defend himself against their false accusations but the crowd interrupted him (Acts 21:26-22:23).

That night the Lord appeared to Paul and said, “Be encouraged, Paul. Just as you have been a witness to me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome as well.” – Acts 23:11

In the midst of the persecution, God made His presence known to Paul.
In the midst of the difficulties, God spoke words of encouragement to him.
Knowing the desire of his heart, God revealed to Paul that he would survive this experience and have the opportunity to preach the Good News in Rome.

Isn’t God wonderful? No, He doesn’t always shelter us from hard times but He never leaves us alone. He brings comfort in the midst of struggles and encouragement to strengthen us for tomorrow. Praise God for the spirit of power, love and sound judgment that He gives us in place of our fears.

For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love and sound judgment. – 2 Timothy 1:7

For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love and sound judgment. – 2 Timothy 1:7

One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a demon-possessed slave girl. She was a fortune-teller who earned a lot of money for her masters. She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.”

Her masters’ hopes of wealth were no shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace. – Acts 16:16-19

There were several things that popped for me this morning as I read through this passage in Acts. My first thought was for this servant girl. She was possessed by a demon and made to behave in a way that was out of her control. Jesus Christ set her free by His power and I wonder where the celebration is. Those around her are angry and they are dragging her rescuers to the marketplace to be punished, but who is celebrating her new freedom? I long to believe that someone wrapped their arms around this wounded young woman and celebrated the healing that had just taken place. I long to believe she began a new journey of faith that day.

My thoughts go next to Paul. How many people had just accepted this young woman’s fate and were so used to her plight they no longer thought much of it? But Paul was “exasperated” with the situation. Other translations describe Paul as annoyed or fed up with her yelling. How often are we so fed up with a situation we see daily that we seek to do something to change the situation? Just like Paul, God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love and sound judgment. Do we love those around us enough to reach out in love? Do we truly understand the power of Jesus’ name and how He desires to make a difference in the lives of others through us?

A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.

Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! – Acts 16:22-26

Doing something good for this young woman did not gain Paul and Silas popularity or praise, just like God moving us to someone else’s rescue does not always gain us points with others. Instead we are sometimes faced with criticism and negative remarks, misunderstandings and consequences.

Paul and Silas could have felt sorry for themselves. They could have become angry with God for not rescuing them from the physical beating and imprisonment that had followed their act of obedience. Instead, they chose to pray and to sing praises to God. The result of their response: other prisoners were listening, the earth moved at God’s command, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! The young woman was not the only person who received freedom that day. Lives were changed and chains fell off because Paul and Silas chose to trust God and worship Him, even in the most difficult of situations.

The story goes on – more captives are freed! The jailer woke up and assumed all the prisoners had escaped. In his horror and knowing what his fate would be once the authorities showed up, the jailer drew his sword to kill himself. Paul again spoke boldly and the course of a man’s life was changed, as was the lives of everyone in his house.

“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household. Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. He brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God. – Acts 16:30-34

The chains of every prisoner fell off! The slave girl is set free from the demon tormenting her, chains fell off of those in captivity, and the jailer and his family found faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. None of that would have happened if Paul and Silas had given in to fear. But instead they recognized the power of speaking the name of Jesus Christ, they saw the earth move when they chose prayer and praise over pity and panic, and they forever changed the lives of those around them because of their faith in God.

For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love and sound judgment. – 2 Timothy 1:7

For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love and sound judgment. – 2 Timothy 1:7

After Saul received his sight back, he was baptized – not just by water but by the Spirit. He was filled with the Holy Spirit and immediately began to preach about Jesus. First he went to the Jewish synagogues saying, “He is indeed the Son of God!” It was like this big “aha” moment he wanted everyone to know about. He had persecuted the Christians because he really did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, but now he has experienced Jesus first-hand and he wants everyone to know that he was wrong – that Jesus is indeed the Son of God.

Of course, the people recognized him. They didn’t see him for who he had become but could only see him for who he used to be. His reputation of persecuting the believers was well known and they did not want to accept these changes as real. Oh how guilty we can be of this in the church! How often we continue to define new believers by where they have been instead of looking to see where God is taking them. Oh, how guilty we can be of doing this to ourselves! We continue to define ourselves by our past mistakes and sins, holding on to the guilt instead of letting the Spirit completely fill us and make us into a new creation.

Saul’s preaching became more and more powerful. No matter how hard the Jews in the synagogues tried to prove that Jesus was not the Messiah, they could not argue with the proof that Saul had. They had a choice – join him or kill him. They chose the latter. When they heard the Jews were plotting to kill Saul, watching for him day and night so they could murder him, the believers lowered him in a large basket through an opening in the city wall so he could escape (Acts 9:20-25).

When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he faced the same kind of opposition. This new life of faith was not coming easily for Saul. The believers were afraid of him and the Greek-speaking Jews tried to kill him. But Barnabas (this was the nickname the apostles had given him because he was a man of encouragement – Acts 4:36) stood in the gap for Saul. He told the believers how Saul had changed and how boldly he had been preaching in Damascus. The believers helped Saul escape to Caesarea and then to his hometown of Tarsus.

(Maybe God is calling us to be a “Barnabas” for someone today. Perhaps He will ask us to stand in the gap or be a source of encouragement before the day is over.)

Does this escape plan mean that Saul was scared? Did he run away from God’s call the first time things got difficult? Did he say – “Sorry, God, I tried. I guess you’ll have to find someone else. Maybe this preaching thing was just for a season of my life and it is time to move on.” Not at all. Paul’s testimony of this difficult time in his life gives us a little more information:

“After I returned to Jerusalem, I was praying in the Temple and fell into a trance. I saw a vision of Jesus saying to me, ‘Hurry! Leave Jerusalem, for the people here won’t accept your testimony about me.’” – Acts 22:17-18

Saul was not running in a spirit of fearfulness. He was doing exactly what Jesus told him to do. God had given him a spirit of power, love and of sound judgment. This decision to leave Jerusalem can probably be placed in the category of sound judgment. God would use this persecution and the need to move from town to town to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ across the region. What could easily be defined as extreme persecution was used for God’s purposes and for God’s glory, just as He uses the difficult times in our lives.

Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. – 2 Corinthians 12:8-10

For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love and sound judgment. – 2 Timothy 1:7

“…And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give your servants great boldness in preaching your word. Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant, Jesus.”

After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness. – Acts 4:29-31

When faced with a very difficult situation, the believers chose to pray. They knew who could take their fear and turn it into boldness. They did not just pray for survival, they prayed for power. They were unsure of the kind of persecution that was ahead of them but willing to be used by God if He wanted. He took their fear of what was ahead, answered their prayer and gave them great boldness through the Holy Spirit.

One of the reasons the believers had to be fearful was a man named Saul. Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he went to the high priest. He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them – both men and women – back to Jerusalem in chains (Acts 9:1-2).

But the man causing great fear experienced great fear when a light shone done from heaven and a voice said, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” The voice instructed him to go into Damascus until he was told what to do next. When he opened his eyes, he was blind. For three days he could see nothing – he did not eat or drink for three days.

The scriptures do not say how Saul was feeling during this time but I can only imagine how scared he must have been. He knew how vicious he had been towards those who believed in Jesus and now Jesus had come to him on the road to Damascus and said, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do” (9:5-6). What we know is that Saul spent these three days praying to God (9:11). Just like the believers, Saul chose to pray when faced with fear.

Now imagine the fear of another man – Ananias. The Lord also came and spoke to him, telling him to go to this man who had been pursuing the death and arrest of the believers. The short version of the story:
Ananias – “But Lord…”
God – “Go…”
So Ananias went…

“Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. Afterward he ate some food and regained his strength.

Saul stayed with the believers in Damascus for a few days. And immediately he began preaching about Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is indeed the Son of God!” – Acts 9:17-20

When faced with fear, we should pray. A simple statement but one we seem to forget so easily. Paul was blind and scared, so he spent three days praying to God. Ananias was scared to go to Paul, so he talked to God about his fear. God is waiting to fill us with His Spirit and give us strength for what we are facing. All we have to do is ask.

Fear…Prayer…Spirit …Strength. That seems to be the pattern here. When faced with fear, these believers fell on their knees in prayer to the Source of their strength. God filled them with His Spirit and they overcame their fear and became bold in their faith. What a great reminder for us today. No matter what is causing fear in our hearts, God is willing to fill us with the power of His Spirit if only we will ask.

For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love and sound judgment. – 2 Timothy 1:7