Acts 23:11-15: a reflection

11The following night, the Lord stood by him and said, “Cheer up, Paul, for as you have testified about me at Jerusalem, so you must testify also at Rome.” 12When it was day, some of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. 13There were more than forty people who had made this conspiracy. 14They came to the chief priests and the elders, and said, “We have bound ourselves under a great curse to taste nothing until we have killed Paul. 15Now therefore, you with the council inform the commanding officer that he should bring him down to you tomorrow, as though you were going to judge his case more exactly. We are ready to kill him before he comes near.”

The night before a plot against his life takes shape, the Lord stands by Paul with a word of courage and assurance, telling him to take heart, for his purpose for Paul still stands. The following night, the Lord stood by him and said, cheer up, Paul; for as you have testified about me at Jerusalem, so you must testify also at Rome. Paul was in danger and difficulty; and the very next day, more than forty men would band together and vow to kill him. But before that danger took shape, the Lord came and stood by Paul, encouraging him: take courage, for you will yet testify at Rome. God's purpose for Paul still stood, and the Lord assured him of it before the danger came. This shows the Lord standing by his own with courage and assurance before the trial. The Lord stands by his own with a word of courage before the trial. Take courage that God is with you and his purpose stands. God's assuring presence can meet us before the danger comes. Even facing threat, God's purpose for you still stands.

Notice the timing and content of the Lord's word to Paul. It came the night before a deadly plot against Paul took shape; more than forty men were about to conspire and vow to kill him. Into this danger, before it fully took shape, the Lord came and stood by Paul, and spoke a word of courage and assurance: cheer up, Paul; take courage; for as you have testified in Jerusalem, so you must testify at Rome. The Lord did not remove the danger, but he stood by Paul in it, assured him of his continuing presence, and reminded him that God's purpose for him, to bear witness at Rome, still stood and would be fulfilled. This holds encouragement for us in our own dangers and trials. When we face difficulty, threat, or danger, the Lord is able to stand by us, as he stood by Paul, with a word of courage and assurance. He may not remove the danger; but he is with us in it, and his purpose for us still stands, not overturned by the threat. We can take courage, in our trials, that the Lord is with us and that his purposes for us are not defeated by the dangers we face. God's assuring presence can meet us even before the danger comes, steadying us for what lies ahead. We do well to take courage in our trials, knowing the Lord stands by his own and his purpose for us still stands. Take courage in your trials, for the Lord stands by his own. God may not remove the danger, but he is with you in it. God's purpose for you still stands, not overturned by the threat. Let the Lord's presence and word steady you before what lies ahead.

That is worth taking to heart, for the Lord stands by his own with a word of courage before the trial, and his purpose for us still stands, as he stood by Paul before the plot took shape. We can be overwhelmed by the dangers we face; but the Lord stood by Paul, telling him to take courage, for he would yet testify at Rome. Take courage. When you face danger or trial, do not be overwhelmed; the Lord stands by his own, and his purpose for you still stands, not defeated by the threat. Take courage in your trials, knowing the Lord stands by his own with a word of courage and that his purpose for you still stands even in the face of danger, as the night before a plot against his life took shape the Lord stood by Paul and told him to take heart, for as he had testified at Jerusalem so he must testify at Rome; for Paul was in danger, and the very next day more than forty men would band together and vow to kill him, but before that danger took shape the Lord came and stood by Paul, encouraging him to take courage since he would yet testify at Rome, so that God's purpose for Paul still stood and the Lord assured him of it before the danger came, which holds encouragement for us in our own dangers and trials, since when we face difficulty, threat, or danger the Lord is able to stand by us as he stood by Paul with a word of courage and assurance, not always removing the danger but being with us in it and assuring us that his purpose for us still stands and is not overturned by the threat, so that we can take courage in our trials that the Lord is with us and his purposes for us are not defeated by the dangers we face, his assuring presence meeting us even before the danger comes to steady us for what lies ahead, and we do well to take courage, knowing the Lord stands by his own.

Lord, the night before a plot against his life takes shape, you stand by Paul with a word of courage and assurance, telling him to take heart, for your purpose for him still stands. The following night, the Lord stood by him and said, cheer up, Paul; for as you have testified about me at Jerusalem, so you must testify also at Rome. Paul was in danger and difficulty; and the very next day, more than forty men would band together and vow to kill him. But before that danger took shape, you came and stood by Paul, encouraging him: take courage, for you will yet testify at Rome. Your purpose for Paul still stood, and you assured him of it before the danger came. Show me the timing and content of your word to Paul. It came the night before a deadly plot against him took shape. Into this danger, before it fully took shape, you came and stood by Paul, and spoke a word of courage and assurance: cheer up, Paul; take courage; for as you have testified in Jerusalem, so you must testify at Rome. You did not remove the danger, but you stood by Paul in it, assured him of your continuing presence, and reminded him that your purpose for him still stood and would be fulfilled. This holds encouragement for me in my own dangers and trials. When I face difficulty, threat, or danger, you are able to stand by me, as you stood by Paul, with a word of courage and assurance. You may not remove the danger; but you are with me in it, and your purpose for me still stands, not overturned by the threat. I can take courage, in my trials, that you are with me and that your purposes for me are not defeated by the dangers I face. Take that to my heart. When I face danger or trial, keep me from being overwhelmed; help me take courage, Lord, knowing that you stand by your own with a word of courage, that you are with me in the danger, and that your purpose for me still stands, not defeated by the threat, your presence steadying me for what lies ahead.