Day 182

2 Kings 3:1-4:37, Acts 21:1-26, Psalm 78:56-72

I wonder what was going on in Paul’s head while he was on his way to Jerusalem. He was journeying to arrest and possible death and all we hear is that he just wants to keep on going, not much about how he felt about it all.

We have seen a couple of the times that God has spoke to him quite directly, right at the beginning for a start and then take for example Acts 18:9-10: “One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.”” There doesn’t however appear to have been anything in relation to his trip to Jerusalem and all that is to happen along the way. From what we have read so far though, I am quite sure that God was speaking to Paul throughout all of this.

It goes back to the comments of a few days ago about discernment, for Paul had a number of people, some of them quite prophetic, telling him not to go, but then the last prophet doesn’t dissuade him but tells him what will happen. It can be quite hard to judge between all of these, he may even have had those words from Acts 18 rattling through his mind: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you”. It is funny how God can keep things in your mind when He is trying to say something.

Paul must have also felt quite close to Christ along the way. Granted he was coming from a very different direction, but he was travelling to Jerusalem quite sure in the knowledge that it would lead to arrest and more. There is something about following in someone’s footsteps that makes you feel that bit closer to them, in this case living out the call to be Christ-like.

This call may be to do something beneficial to us (like the jars of oil that saved the widow’s sons) or to travel to Jerusalem and imminent incarceration. Our challenge is to keep listening to the voice of God, and follow wherever He leads. Ask God today what the next stage in the journey may be.