Be Of Good Cheer

But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome. 

Acts 23:11 

Much of Paul’s ministry landed him in trouble with various groups. By the 18th chapter of Acts he had declared his intention to go to Jerusalem. By the 21st chapter he had arrived in Jerusalem. When he went to the temple, people recognized him, ‘Now when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him, crying out, Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, the law, and this place; and furthermore he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.’ This provoked such an uproar that the Romans had to intervene to preserve order. They hustled Paul into the barracks. The defense he made to the Jews on his way out provoked them even more. The next day, Paul appeared before the Jewish ruling council. This resulted in more controversy, and the Romans had to rescue him again. Our text follows on the heels of these events. In our text Christ reveals Paul’s future. Such controversy would have been discouraging. Christ encourages him to be of good cheer. He reveals to him that as he has witnessed of Christ in Jerusalem, he will also witness of Him in Rome. This meant several things. It meant that Paul’s enemies would not succeed in killing him, although they would attempt it. It meant that God had a purpose for all the things that were happening to him. Furthermore, it meant that the gospel would have an effect in the capital city of the Roman empire. Paul was the emissary who was going to deliver that message. Thus, Christ revealed His providential plan for Paul. He has a plan for us as well. We may not now know what it is today, but He will reveal it to us when we need it most.  

Our Wise and Sovereign God, 
we rejoice that You have Your providential plan in place. 
We praise You that all that You have determined 
 shall infallibly come to pass. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning